Backwards Town

I wish I could say that I have lived an extravagant life, with great exciting stories from my travels. Or the ability to take out my photo album and impress my friends with my vacation photos. One can only wish for so much. It's not that I am a bore and choose not to travel, it's simply that I don't have the funds or the time. The last journey I was on was in April of last year. It wasn't anything special, it meant leaving my little apartment in Jersey and just getting away. It was spring break, so I took off a week of work so my boyfriend and me could drive down and visit his mother and stepfather in South Carolina. This was the first time I had ever been down south and the first time meeting the parental units. This place was like none I have ever been to before. I'm originally from upstate New York where people move approximately three times slower then the real New Yorkers do. For example, if you order a cup of coffee your bound to get it in about two and a half to three minutes, here in the city I would say thirty five seconds and in South Carolina you would receive your no longer hot cup of Joe seven minutes latter. They only thing I can compare it to is this book I use to read when I was young called Mr. Fixits opposites by Richard Scarry. I was a story where everyone is doing everything backwards.

It took us twelve hours to drive there, we drove straight through only stopping twice for coffee junk food and a bathroom. I can't complain too much, being that I slept just about all twelve hours down. When we finally got there, I had that awful knot in my stomach. That feeling where you don't know if you want to throw up or you just have to poop. I had to make a good impression, for it was the first time I was meeting the woman who gave this boy that I love life. I have to pass the mom test. I had to prove that I was not just some girl, that I was the girl, the girl she approved of. I've been through many of these mom tests before it's not like this was my first, but it's always nerve-racking the first time. The first night she was so into Brent (my boyfriend/her pride and joy; her son) that I was just there. Which did not bother me at all, being in a car for twelve hours I was not up to Jeopardy game of questions that I knew was soon to come.

For the next few days Brent and I just hung around the house and went to the beach that was just a few minutes away. Then latter in the night we would all go out to eat and small talk about what’s going on in our lives. The next day we all took the day and went fishing on their boat in the river. It was a nice day, it was beautiful out and we just floated in the river admiring the scenery and enjoying each other’s company. As we were getting off the boat, tying it to the dock taking all our thing out, She called me a name that she once held so near and dear to her heart, "Ashley”. This was Brent’s former girlfriends name, whom I found out she was crazy about, and wanted as a daughter-in-law. Everyone makes mistakes. We all call someone the wrong name at some point in our life. It was awkward I will admit, I had a little resentment for her but just for a minute or two.
The next day came, a fresh new day. She had asked me to help her clean around the house before we took off and did our daily activities. "Ashley can you Vacuum the dogs made a mess in here" At this point I was just thinking okay this woman just hates me. Maureen, Ashley no way in hell do they sound alike. This time she caught herself and said that she accidentally calls people the wrong name all the time. A few hours after I had finish vacuuming, she yells out "Ashley! Look the dogs made a mess already just after we cleaned up" OKAY. This was just about my breaking point. Did she not know my name was Maureen, I even told her she could call me Mo for short. So maybe she really thought our names were alike because this Ashley girl and me do not look alike at all. Complete opposites, I have the features of an Irish toe head and she, an Italian or some Spanish decent. At this point I just accepted that she was never going to forget this girl no matter how many mom points I scored. This girl already racked in all the points and there was no more left for me. At this point I had given up all hope in her liking me, and this I was okay with me. By the end of with week she got my name right, I could leave knowing that she finally knew that I was not Ashley. She might not have liked me but she finally got my name right. We packed up said our goodbyes and headed back home to Jersey. I left there we horrible sunburn, bottles a sunscreen 70 SPF that obviously did not hold up to it’s end and the thought of this woman knowing my name. I had never been more excited to come home to my sweltering hot apartment, my two kittens and my catty roommate. I just don’t think I can cut it for a Southern Bell and I think I’m okay with that.

The snow is done falling
Change is approaching, almost like a flower
Ready to become something new