The World of Stuff .com

Adventures with Kate, part ten

Thu Oct 28, 2010 22:58 (UTC -5)

On Thursday, August 19, the sun slowly sank into the ocean behind a half-empty Greyhound bus as it crossed bridge after bridge, passing through quiet island after quiet island, heading for Miami. On the bus were Kate and I, watching a movie on Kate’s laptop. She had picked out a foreign film called The Seventh Continent. It was horrifying, and I wondered why she thought I would like it. But the more I thought about it, the more I did like it.

We made a very short stop at a Burger King; it was the same one, decorated like a boat inside, that our bus had stopped at only a few days ago on our way to Key West. On the bus, while we were watching the movie, the minutes passed almost as quickly as they did in the restaurant. Before I knew it, we were speeding along on an elevated freeway with the orange-yellow glow of city lights all around. We were back on the mainland.

The bus took us to Miami International Airport. From there, we took a city bus to a Metrorail station. We knew where we were going; Kate had once again made our sleeping arrangements through CouchSurfing.

At the Metrorail station, as we were buying our tickets to get on, a man came up to me and wanted me to buy his old Metrorail ticket from him for the same price as a new one. He swiped it to show me that it still worked. He said he had a wife and kids to support or some bullshit like that. He wouldn’t stop bothering me. I bought the ticket from him so he would go away. He probably went off and drank, smoked, huffed, or snorted it. So, yeah, I know it was a bad idea. I need to learn to say no to those kinds of people, especially since the same thing had just happened to me. It’s hard because I was raised Catholic.

The ticket got me in. As we stood on the platform, Kate and I and Kate’s friend’s guitar, I called our host to see if she was in. She said she’d be on her way home to let us in. I looked out over the dark city that I had until very recently called the major city closest to home.

The train came and swept us to Brickell, an upscale district south of the Miami River. Young, well-dressed people were dining and drinking and having a good time. Carrying our huge bags, I felt like we were out of place, and they seemed to too. I got at least one stare.

We arrived at a tall apartment building next to one of the many restaurants. I had a hard time figuring out how to open the door. The man inside heard me over the speaker and said he would unlock it. We walked inside. The lobby was vast and empty. The man sat at a desk near the door. Off to the side were a couch and a few chairs. There was a large mural on the wall next to an elevator. That was it.

We called our host to let us know we had arrived, and soon she came out of the elevator and brought us up to her apartment. She showed us where everything was in the kitchen case we wanted any food. Then she showed us our own bedroom and bathroom before going to bed. It was late, so we just made plans for the next day and then went to bed ourselves.

The next day, Friday, August 20, was the last day of Kate’s visit. We woke up early so our host could drop us off at a Barnes and Noble on her way to work. It wasn’t really on the way at all, so we thanked her for having us and going to the trouble. Then, once again, we were on our own.

Some of Kate’s friends and relatives had given her money to buy certain things for them. A couple of people wanted Barnes and Noble’s e-book reader, the Nook. After having breakfast at an Einstein Bros., we went to Barnes and Noble. I parked myself and all our stuff in the philosophy section, which was right at of one of the front windows, while Kate went through the apparently difficult process of buying several Nooks.

After what seemed like forever, she had them. From there, we took a few buses to get to the Lincoln Road Mall in Miami Beach. We were getting to be on a tight schedule, so there were some tense moments when we couldn’t find the buses we needed. Fortunately, we were able to get to Lincoln Road pretty quickly, so we set out for our next shopping-for-other-people destination: the Apple Store.

As Kate waited in a line that stretched more than half the length of the store to buy some iPads, I got on one of the computers to check my e-mail. A police officer who had been stationed at the front door tapped me on the shoulder and told me that those computers were only for people who were signing up for iPhone service, and that if I wanted to use one of the computers, I should use one of the ones on the opposite side of the room. I didn’t; I was done by then anyway. It wasn’t till later that I realized that the cop wasn’t a cop at all; he was just a security guard. The giveaway was that the American flag patch on his right shoulder was backwards. No, not backwards the way it’s supposed to be, but backwards from backwards.

Finally, Kate had the iPads. We had a little bit of time left, so we went to the Swatch Store so she could buy some watches. Kate made her decisions with great care. Meanwhile, I tried to find out when the next bus to the airport would be coming. I went to the bus stop at the end of the mall to see if I could find a schedule, but there wasn’t one. Next, I went back to the Apple Store to look up the schedule online. Back at the Swatch Store, Kate was buying the watches she had chosen.

We set out for the nearest bus stop. The driver told us where to get off so that we could take a bus directly to the airport. Fortunately, that bus was waiting right at our stop, but unfortunately, the driver was taking his time. At last, the bus started moving. It left Miami Beach and entered Miami, going farther and farther west. Before long, we were at the airport, the last stop on Kate’s visit to America.

We were in a hurry. Kate packed her bags as we were standing in line to check them. She wanted to carry on the guitar case, her backpack, and the stuff she had just bought, but they wouldn’t let her take all of those things. Eventually, we found ourselves tearing open iPad boxes, trying to get all of the gadgets to fit into her backpack.

Somehow, they all fit. Kate was good to go.

Nearby was an escalator going up to security. At the entrance of the escalator stood an attendant. I asked her if I could follow Kate up to security and see her off there, but the woman said I couldn’t. I had to stop there.

Kate said she had to throw something away and started walking away toward a garbage can. I followed her, wondering what she was thinking when she was already going to be late for her flight. She told me she really just wanted to get away from the attendant so we wouldn’t have to kiss right in front of her. Silly Jordon, why didn’t I think of that? My mind doesn’t work that way.

We kissed. Then I took a picture of us as fast as I possibly could.

She went ahead; I stayed behind. She faced me as the escalator carried her up. I remembered our last goodbye at the bus station in Gainesville not long ago. This time, though, it was different. This time, I wasn’t torn apart by lingering uncertainties; instead I felt at peace, calm, knowing this was not really goodbye. There were no tears, only smiles.

* * *

I stood alone at the bus stop outside, waiting for the shuttle to the Tri-Rail. The sky, sunny earlier, was turning gray. The bus came just in time; I had a few minutes to put down my bags and sit.

It started pouring rain as I got out of the bus. I dashed toward the platform for refuge. A train came, and I got on. I had my ticket, bound for Deerfield Beach. I would be spending the night with a friend in my old neighborhood.

He picked me up from the station, and we caught up with each other over dinner at the neighborhood bar and grill. He drove by my old house. It looked the same, except the lawn was overgrown. Back at his place, I went to bed early.

I woke up as the sun was rising and slipped out while everyone was still asleep. A friend of my mom’s who was going up to visit her picked me up outside. She had decided she could use the company; so could I.

On the way, I read. Kate had given me Of Human Bondage for my birthday, and though I had read it on some of our long bus rides, I hadn’t been able to finish it. Now I had my chance.

Of Human Bondage is a novel about a boy who grows up. He does things, and things happen to him. He falls in love with a woman who doesn’t love him but takes advantage of his good nature. He falls in love again and finally finds true happiness.

This book, before and after Kate’s visit, felt like a connection to her. I finished reading it just before we arrived home. It was back to life as usual.

Kate, I miss you.