Friday morning it's odd not to wake up with Jenny but I suppose taking a night away from each other is healthy, especially when it's at the point when I can't think of the last night we didn't spend together, and I stayed up late writing and playing videogames and watching The Matrix on my window-shade, standard Guy Stuff, and eating half a package of saltine crackers for dinner.
Friday mid-morning I head over to Old Soul to write, or surf the web, or whatever, and I order a turkey cranberry and a mocha and can't seem to concentrate and don't get much of anything done, which frustrates me more than it should and I wish I would've just stayed at home. Anyway, it's not a big deal and the sandwich is good and sometimes the writing comes and sometimes it doesn't. It's hard, too, when people want to talk to me. Tessa comes by and says she can make it to the bonfire and we talk about making gourmet s'mores. Shaun seems like he's in an off mood, but the guy's got a lot on his mind and I figure we'll have a chance to talk about it tomorrow. Meredith, pleasant as ever.
Friday is my Sunday.
Friday mid-day I take the #38 to Oak Park for tutoring. It starts in Mrs. Coates' class where everyone's supposed to be working on homework and I pace around helping a handful of them get started on their persuasive essays (Write a letter to the editor of your school newspaper explaining who you think deserves to be on a postage stamp and why). Kevin picks Mrs. Coates. Zion goes for some author. Krystion picks himself because he is awesome and multi-talented. Some of the kids are working on math. Some of them doodle or read, and I catch the ones off task or making small talk and persuade them to work on something productive. I start learning names. I help pass out "paychecks," which basically assign point values to behavior and grades. Because it's "Fun Friday," the kids get to go outside and play softball, which I help organize all by myself (with about twenty kids to control, which is rarely easy), and by the time Ms. Hockenson and Ms. Jensen arrive with more kids, I've already got a game going. Felt good to be the leader and it was rewarding to see the kids listening and having fun and warming up to me. We had about an hour to laugh and goof off and it was a positive bonding moment, I hope, and after that class was done and I walked back to the bus stop and eventually found my way home.
Friday afternoon I deposit my paycheck and pay my AT&T bill.
Friday evening Jenny comes over and we get a few minutes to hug and kiss and catch up and Jenny's been busy at work writing a grant and I'm glad to supply an environment where she can vent and relax and I'm just happy to be with her and sometimes so much so that all I can do is laugh. I cannot wait for her to meet my family at dinner because I know that they will love her as much as I do. On a serious note, we decide that it's best if I don't go to Montana with her this summer because I can't really afford the plane ticket, though I'd love to see that part of the country and meet her little brothers and her mom. Eventually... Later, we're at Pete's with my mom, my sister and my grandmother. Grandma brought me the bike she once rode across Iowa. She lectures me throughout the night about bike safety. She also gives me a box full of books and offers me the yellow electric scooter that needs a new battery before it can be taken down from Truckee. I am bewildered by the thought of how much my grandmother has helped me throughout my life with bottomless generosity. Jenny is impressed by her. Jenny gets along well with everyone and this makes me happy and at dinner she gets all the standard questions and my family takes well to her ambitious journalism endeavors. We eat decent Italian food and a giant slice of Oreo mudslide cake. My sister is growing up so fast, I hardly recognized her. She'll be starting high school soon. My mom is doing well. We talk about my Peace Corps plans and if I'd find a similar TESOL program at another school, and Santa Cruz comes up and my grandma reminds me that there's a family-owned cottage near Capitola that I could probably move into, if I wanted. If I wanted... Almost as soon as she said that I was thinking of moving out. I'd completely forgotten about that cottage and funny enough the first thing I think of is that's where I listened to Less Than Jake for the first time. The night goes well and everyone gives each other a hug when Mom drops us off at my house.
Friday night Jenny stays over.
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