Out Here It's Like I'm Someone Else

Picture Credit: Israel Guevara

It’s only right to mention the trip back. Back to the familiarity, yet expecting it to be different. A three and a half hour flight only proved time hadn’t stopped. The same beef jerky man sits on the corner of my childhood street, waving to cars as they pass. The same high mountains and open skies. The same cactus, sun and heat. The same stop light that always seemed to last forever. Hundreds of nights sitting with the stereo blasting, hurrying home to meet curfew. Home. It still sits at 736. Only there was no turn in the driveway. There were no words. There was no... nothing. Like a friend that suddenly becomes a stranger. I just drove past, only catching a glimpse of the french doors open to my old bedroom.

Bestie and I escaped to the movies several times. Harkins was always a safe place for the both of us. & A reunited Starbucks meeting with Lindsey made me miss our therapy sessions more than ever. Dinner with the grandparents. Bingo with cousin and Sara. Half-priced appetizers at Applebees with Padre. Just like the three months prior.

& To express my excitement on being reunited with Team Transparent would make this an even lengthier entry. There was staying up late and waking up early. Painting walls, building playgrounds, playing card games and making several stops at QT-- only the best gas station of all time. Late night dinner at In N’ Out, sharing orders of french fries. It ended too soon. Hugs exchanged with the LA & AZ teams and it was back to Nashville in the a.m. Back to the new reality, knowing friends are only a Skype conversation away. ★