Day V: Lebanon Revisited
Jun. 9th, 2005 10:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grrgoylDay V: Lebanon (and my childhood) Revisited
Sunday was my day to hook up with a couple of friends who I've known most of my life, Harold my ex-boyfriend and Lisa my best friend from elementary and high school. Tery was going to spend quality time with her family. LS and I were both awakened by the phone (I had been dreaming that I lost Harold's number and the guy at Directory Assistance thought it was hilarious to tease me and play games rather than give me it, to the point that I was crying with frustration). The phone call was someone at the Dombrowskis who told me, as I suspected, that last night's festivities had finally wound down at 4 a.m. or so. With LS up too, my morning regimen was peppered with apologies from her for the night before, and MORE analyzing and rationalizing, if you can believe it. Harold couldn't have arrived to get me too soon.
He came and brought me back to Lebanon, my hometown. Our first stop was the cemetary where my father is buried. I had never been before. I really didn't think I would cry, since I've had 5 years to come to terms with his death. But something about seeing his name carved into that cold, lifeless stone in the ground snuck up on me. I was grateful Harold was there for me. His marker is in a row with other military personnel, and it drives Harold mad (as an Army man himself) that the damn civilians who interred them didn't even line them up straight. Harold stops by once a month or so to make sure the graves are tidy. On Memorial Day he got a flag for one of the other servicemen's plot because it didn't have one, and he thought that was wrong. He always wants to bring flowers for my dad, but I won't let him. My dad would just think it was a waste of money, and he respects this. He is the sweetest guy.
From there it was a leisurely drive through the center of town. He showed me the new high school, and all the new houses going up on the Green. Some jackass had bought property right behind the War Office, a historical site from the Revolutionary War, on the condition they would build far away from it and inconspicuously. Once they owned the deed, they went back on their word and built a brand new split-level that overshadows it. I don't know how they got away with it or why they would want to, because I'm sure now everyone in town hates them (though, as Lisa later pointed out, it must be easy giving directions to it for parties).
He also took me down Lake Shore Drive, the street I grew up on. My jaw dropped at how much it's changed. It's apparently now the most desirable road in Lebanon, with people either squeezing new homes in or fixing up older ones to make them million-dollar properties. My mother could have done this with our house if she wasn't impatient and impulsive like me. I tried to get pictures of it, but the new owners were working in the front yard and I didn't want to freak them out. We snapped a few with Harold's camera phone and then took off, with Harold screaming "Praise Allah!" out the window. That's just the kind of sense of humor he has.
Next stop was Willimantic to see his wife and new baby boy, Benjamin. He was adorable and shy, but said goodbye to me when I left, making me I'm told one of the few people who had the honor of hearing him say their name to their face and not after they'd walked out the door. Harold also brought me to the second stop in my tour of New England restaurants, D'Angelo's. Nothing fancy, really they just sell pita pocket sandwiches, but I couldn't remember what I usually got. I settled on the tuna salad but sadly it fell a bit flat for me. D'Angelo's Revisited Experience: C
Next Harold took me to see Lisa, but not before parking for a bit and chatting. He confessed that he would always be attracted to me. I'm a big fan of people speaking their minds, but declarations like this tend to make me uncomfortable, especially when I can't honestly say I feel the same way. How DO you respond to that when you just want to be friends? I just smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "I know." Not that it came as a surprise, he says things like this every time I talk to him. We both know nothing can ever happen between us again so our friendship goes on.
We got to Lisa's and Harold had to leave to catch a plane. It was very weird seeing Lisa at first. I haven't seen her since I moved to Colorado 9 years ago. But once we started talking it felt like we hadn't missed a day. She has a 6-year-old daughter, Ruthie, who's a Montessori student. I don't know if it's education or genes, but she was smart as a whip. I could talk to her like she was 5 years older than she was. She drew me a picture of an esophagus, complete with peristaltic muscles. I don't think I could have done that at her age and I was fairly advanced as well. We kept her busy looking for pictures of a pancreas while we caught up. We talked about teachers who had died or retired, and she dug out an album full of pictures of us that I had never even seen. There were pictures of my father I hadn't seen (our families were quite close). There were pictures from a party, and I joked about Lisa being at the center of all of them. "Well to be fair, it WAS my birthday" she pointed out. She had a picture of my Father Roger I'd never seen before. She asked if I had gone to the casino to try to see him; I had thought about it, but I am really afraid of ruining my memories of him. I don't want to see him old and fat and married. She made photocopies of all the ones I wanted. For example:
Lisa has always been fantastically creative and artistic, which I am sure also influences Ruthie's development. Her newest hobby is papercutting, which sounds simple and boring but she comes up with original designs that are quite stunning:
We had such a nice visit. I'm really glad I went.
She brought me back to the Dombrowskis, where we sat in the basement with Mike and Michelle and watched the wedding footage I had taken. We also joked at terrifically cruel lengths about LS. Of course the car-stealing incident was already a family legend and everyone was putting in their two cents. This is what they do. Choice quotes will now become inside jokes that will live for years beyond the actual event. There was also a fair share of mockery of Kristen, the 12-stepping sister-in-law. At one point Mike and Michelle went outside to smoke, and Michelle came back looking pale and shaky. She swore she heard someone outside yell at her "If you've got something to say, say it to my face!!" These exact words were uttered by Kristen to Tery's mother a few weeks earlier when Kristen's kids brought home some trash talk they had overheard about her. Michelle was convinced Kristen was lurking around in the bushes and eavesdropping through the window. Mike came in a few minutes later and added some crucial details...he said a complete stranger was outside talking on the phone across the street and describing what they wished they had said during an argument. But Michelle wouldn't be swayed, she was thoroughly freaked out. Her beloved siblings naturally had to prey on this. Tery thought it would be funny to suddenly stare out the basement door with a look of alarm on her face. Jason left to use the bathroom and stopped outside the basement window to hammer on it, making Michelle jump almost through the ceiling. Yep, there's something to be said about being an only child.
Of course, this supposed close call with being caught didn't stop Michelle from making snarky comments the very next day as we drove past Kristen's yard, with the windows of the car wide open.
Next: Day VI and VII, because not much happened on those days
Sunday was my day to hook up with a couple of friends who I've known most of my life, Harold my ex-boyfriend and Lisa my best friend from elementary and high school. Tery was going to spend quality time with her family. LS and I were both awakened by the phone (I had been dreaming that I lost Harold's number and the guy at Directory Assistance thought it was hilarious to tease me and play games rather than give me it, to the point that I was crying with frustration). The phone call was someone at the Dombrowskis who told me, as I suspected, that last night's festivities had finally wound down at 4 a.m. or so. With LS up too, my morning regimen was peppered with apologies from her for the night before, and MORE analyzing and rationalizing, if you can believe it. Harold couldn't have arrived to get me too soon.
He came and brought me back to Lebanon, my hometown. Our first stop was the cemetary where my father is buried. I had never been before. I really didn't think I would cry, since I've had 5 years to come to terms with his death. But something about seeing his name carved into that cold, lifeless stone in the ground snuck up on me. I was grateful Harold was there for me. His marker is in a row with other military personnel, and it drives Harold mad (as an Army man himself) that the damn civilians who interred them didn't even line them up straight. Harold stops by once a month or so to make sure the graves are tidy. On Memorial Day he got a flag for one of the other servicemen's plot because it didn't have one, and he thought that was wrong. He always wants to bring flowers for my dad, but I won't let him. My dad would just think it was a waste of money, and he respects this. He is the sweetest guy.
From there it was a leisurely drive through the center of town. He showed me the new high school, and all the new houses going up on the Green. Some jackass had bought property right behind the War Office, a historical site from the Revolutionary War, on the condition they would build far away from it and inconspicuously. Once they owned the deed, they went back on their word and built a brand new split-level that overshadows it. I don't know how they got away with it or why they would want to, because I'm sure now everyone in town hates them (though, as Lisa later pointed out, it must be easy giving directions to it for parties).
He also took me down Lake Shore Drive, the street I grew up on. My jaw dropped at how much it's changed. It's apparently now the most desirable road in Lebanon, with people either squeezing new homes in or fixing up older ones to make them million-dollar properties. My mother could have done this with our house if she wasn't impatient and impulsive like me. I tried to get pictures of it, but the new owners were working in the front yard and I didn't want to freak them out. We snapped a few with Harold's camera phone and then took off, with Harold screaming "Praise Allah!" out the window. That's just the kind of sense of humor he has.
Next stop was Willimantic to see his wife and new baby boy, Benjamin. He was adorable and shy, but said goodbye to me when I left, making me I'm told one of the few people who had the honor of hearing him say their name to their face and not after they'd walked out the door. Harold also brought me to the second stop in my tour of New England restaurants, D'Angelo's. Nothing fancy, really they just sell pita pocket sandwiches, but I couldn't remember what I usually got. I settled on the tuna salad but sadly it fell a bit flat for me. D'Angelo's Revisited Experience: C
Next Harold took me to see Lisa, but not before parking for a bit and chatting. He confessed that he would always be attracted to me. I'm a big fan of people speaking their minds, but declarations like this tend to make me uncomfortable, especially when I can't honestly say I feel the same way. How DO you respond to that when you just want to be friends? I just smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "I know." Not that it came as a surprise, he says things like this every time I talk to him. We both know nothing can ever happen between us again so our friendship goes on.
We got to Lisa's and Harold had to leave to catch a plane. It was very weird seeing Lisa at first. I haven't seen her since I moved to Colorado 9 years ago. But once we started talking it felt like we hadn't missed a day. She has a 6-year-old daughter, Ruthie, who's a Montessori student. I don't know if it's education or genes, but she was smart as a whip. I could talk to her like she was 5 years older than she was. She drew me a picture of an esophagus, complete with peristaltic muscles. I don't think I could have done that at her age and I was fairly advanced as well. We kept her busy looking for pictures of a pancreas while we caught up. We talked about teachers who had died or retired, and she dug out an album full of pictures of us that I had never even seen. There were pictures of my father I hadn't seen (our families were quite close). There were pictures from a party, and I joked about Lisa being at the center of all of them. "Well to be fair, it WAS my birthday" she pointed out. She had a picture of my Father Roger I'd never seen before. She asked if I had gone to the casino to try to see him; I had thought about it, but I am really afraid of ruining my memories of him. I don't want to see him old and fat and married. She made photocopies of all the ones I wanted. For example:
Apparently I used to be skinny. Photographic proof that I once had a neck!
I was also little punk rock grrl. This was me in college. Funny, I remember thinking I looked a lot meaner.
Lisa has always been fantastically creative and artistic, which I am sure also influences Ruthie's development. Her newest hobby is papercutting, which sounds simple and boring but she comes up with original designs that are quite stunning:
She gave me this one just because I liked it so much
We had such a nice visit. I'm really glad I went.
She brought me back to the Dombrowskis, where we sat in the basement with Mike and Michelle and watched the wedding footage I had taken. We also joked at terrifically cruel lengths about LS. Of course the car-stealing incident was already a family legend and everyone was putting in their two cents. This is what they do. Choice quotes will now become inside jokes that will live for years beyond the actual event. There was also a fair share of mockery of Kristen, the 12-stepping sister-in-law. At one point Mike and Michelle went outside to smoke, and Michelle came back looking pale and shaky. She swore she heard someone outside yell at her "If you've got something to say, say it to my face!!" These exact words were uttered by Kristen to Tery's mother a few weeks earlier when Kristen's kids brought home some trash talk they had overheard about her. Michelle was convinced Kristen was lurking around in the bushes and eavesdropping through the window. Mike came in a few minutes later and added some crucial details...he said a complete stranger was outside talking on the phone across the street and describing what they wished they had said during an argument. But Michelle wouldn't be swayed, she was thoroughly freaked out. Her beloved siblings naturally had to prey on this. Tery thought it would be funny to suddenly stare out the basement door with a look of alarm on her face. Jason left to use the bathroom and stopped outside the basement window to hammer on it, making Michelle jump almost through the ceiling. Yep, there's something to be said about being an only child.
Of course, this supposed close call with being caught didn't stop Michelle from making snarky comments the very next day as we drove past Kristen's yard, with the windows of the car wide open.
Next: Day VI and VII, because not much happened on those days
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Date: 2005-06-11 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-11 07:06 pm (UTC)