Considering that I'd come out of 2 nights on the unit, Nicky was stuck at work with quite idiotic people, and Shay had just come home from a trip and about to set off to another city, it was a bit of a miracle that we managed to come together. Well...kinda.
For the first hour or so, Shay and I ended up going back and forth along the same traffic-congested road trying to find this tea shop Nicky had suggested before finally giving up and pulling into shopping centers and waiting til Nicky showed up. I turned up the air as Shay got into my car and hugged her enthusiastically, happy to finally see her after so long. She marvels over the beauty that is Stu and regales me with tales of her recent trip to Canada with her family. The moment she mentioned that they drove up there, I cringed, remembering the horror of driving outside of Florida with my family during my childhood,
After a while, Nicky pulls up and I honk my horn to get her attention. She looks around wildly in her SUV for a moment before seeing us and throwing her head back and laughing inside her car. Shay and I dash out of my car and into hers before setting off to a restaurant that's actually open. Along the way, I look up the restaurant's address, Shay fights with the GPS, and Nicky ultimately insists in driving one-handed in Miami traffic because,
"It's fine." She says flippantly, pulling her eyes away from the GPS to not hit anyone in traffic. "I'm used to this!"
Shay gives me an uneasy look from the passenger seat and I shrug. Considering the odd traffic adventures we've been in since Shay first started driving in high school, Nicky's one-handed driving really wasn't that big a deal.
We pull up to a Korean restaurant and spend ten minutes staring at the huge menu. Once the menus are gone, we sit around and just talk. I reaffirm my beliefs that I will never have a child until I'm in my 30s, Nicky rants about the complete incompetence of her coworkers and I suggest that she quit because hearing about her work gives me headaches. Shay tells us about her new love for Canadian culture and landscapes, shares her UFO-ish sightings, and (after over a freakin' year) finally tells us the first real news of her wedding. As such, Nicky and I will be boarding a plane sometime in August 2012 for the Smokies for the first wedding of the Trinity.
While I'm not a big fan of any landlocked states, let alone ones that have mountains, I'm beyond excited that one of my best friends is getting married.
At the end of dinner, Nicky insists on getting dessert even while we're considerably stuffed. Regardless, we ended up digging into an ice cream tempura cheesecake within minutes.
 |
| One word: Glorious |
We talk and talk some more before calling it in. I hug Shay good-bye and hope that we won't have to wait almost another year before all three of us meet again.
