September 21, 2023
This year has just kind of sucked.
For the past few weeks I’ve been planning to go on a short trip and hoping to see my guy in the process. I had received a free ticket to a amusement park in Pennsylvania but it needed to be used by September 16. So I planned on getting there on that final day. The park itself was very nice; lots of shade, some good rides. The stupid part was I faceplanted on the carousel of all things, and whacked up my knee a bit. Despite that, I had fun. But I’m getting tired of traveling by myself.
The next day I drove into New Jersey. I was on my way to New York City but there was no way I wanted to drive in the city itself – so I had researched and figured out I could park at a mall near where I usually meet up with my guy and take a transit bus from the mall into the city. It shouldn’t have been a problem. Well, I guess I got on the wrong bus – and you’ll find out why later. The bus did take me to city, but in a totally different area than what I had originally planned so I ended up taking an Uber from the station they dropped me off at to the Theatre where I was seeing the show. The show itself was fantastic – my first real “straight play” rather than a musical. And as I left, I walked right into the “stage door experience” and two of the stars came out and signed my Playbill. Well that was exciting. I was really hoping the third actor would come out because he was really my favorite. (I know he usually does not come out to sign however, because of threats and problems he has had with fans. Sometimes though he will come out and wave. I wanted to show my tattoo.)
It should’ve been an amazing experience, because I also won a ticket lottery and actually won front row seats for “Hamilton,” which is the hottest show out there. But I just felt weird overall. I felt that there was something going on with my car. I was afraid that it was going to get towed or something because the area I had parked it had no other vehicles around whatsoever. (The mall itself is closed on Sundays due to Blue Laws in NJ.) I walked up to a bookstore and mulled around there for a while, but I just kept feeling that I needed to go back. I did pick up my tickets, so at least I do have that for a souvenir. (I have seen the show twice on tour, but this was Broadway!)
I hightailed it to the bus station, and this time got on the correct bus to go back over to New Jersey where I was parked. It was already dark, and I was kind of nervous because at the end I was the last person on the bus. We finally get to the mall and the driver drops me off and I immediately realize something is not right. It’s the correct mall, but nothing looked familiar. I could not find my car. I walked around for an hour, looking for my car and could not find it. Now I was starting to panic a little bit. I found a security guard and unfortunately I was not allowed to get into the vehicle so she could drive me around and look, but she did take my key and drove around the mall twice trying to find it.
And of course, it started to rain and I’m standing outside, waiting for the security guard to come back and see if she found my car or not. She had to come back once and asked for more information because she couldn’t find it either. I was out in the rain, huddling under an awning, trying to stay dry. The second time she comes back and she found my car. Hallelujah! It was on the totally opposite side of the mall where I was and on another level. I didn’t know this mall had more than one parking level – I was not parked in the garage. It was out in the open. But I did find my car. The guard was nice enough to unlock the doors to the mall itself and she escorted me through it to stay out of the rain, rather than walk all the way around it and down. And that’s probably why I got on the wrong bus, because I was at the wrong bus stop.
I throw all my stuff in the backseat and I get back to the hotel to dry off and talk to my guy a little bit. He’s all excited for the next day and hoping that his wife would go to work (she often works from home on Mondays). I planned on staying the whole day in New Jersey just so I can see him. I did have a couple minor things planned, but it was nothing. I really had a need to do.
Next day I get up and he calls me and says he woke up with a sore throat and tested positive for Covid.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!
And I believe him because there’s no reason why I shouldn’t. If he didn’t want to see me, he could’ve just said that his wife decided to stay at home rather than go into work. He already had that out.
(I found out he actually called in sick at work for two days – he has only done that one other time in the 8 years I have known him!)
So I just drove 9 hours back home. A couple of things I had planned to do otherwise were washed out by rain anyways so there was absolutely no reason for me to stay. I wouldn’t even be able to see my guy the next morning before I left anyways due to Covid.
When I get home and unpacked all my stuff and realized my bag of souvenirs, got totally soaked in the rain when I was looking for my car – including my signed Playbill, which was basically ruined.
(Sigh)
I’m about ready to give up
Morgan Destera 