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#like had we moved to Florida this year I could’ve been able to have conversations with the French exchange student
flippedorbit · 3 years
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I’m so mad that I got cheated out of learning French when we had to move from Oklahoma to Florida
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sohannabarberaesque · 4 years
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Underwater America with Peter Potamus: Florida’s Space Coast
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art by MaudeDraws (https://www.deviantart.com/maudedraws)
This story continues a Friday Fanfic series which debuted late last year, in which Peter Potamus and friends go on a cross-country tour of the nation’s most interesting diving sites in the hope of selling their adventures to television. This story takes place early in the summer of 1970.
I drove the bus out of Ocala at around six o’clock in the morning while everyone else inside was still sleeping off our latest refreshing adventure.
Early into the next leg of our cross-country tour, I pondered taking the winding country roads instead of the highway. I eventually decided on the highway, for the roads were generally less bumpy—thereby making the crew less irritable—and faster, even though we had lots of time to get to our next stop: Florida’s famous State Road A1A, featuring the longest stretches of beaches one could ever hope for.
About 90 minutes later, once everyone was awake, alert and begging for breakfast, we stopped at a diner in Ocoee, not far from Orlando, Walt Disney’s latest conquest. In fact, as we sat in two separate booths looking at menus, the conversation turned to the resort.
“What do you think he’s got there?” Breezly pondered.
“Do you think we could get up close and take pictures?” asked a slightly hyperactive Squiddly, shivering with delight.
“Yeah!” Magilla giddily exclaimed. “Maybe we could have a piece of history!”
“Please,” Mildew said in his usual sassy style. “I doubt they’d let anyone near a construction site. Plus, this is Disney we’re talking about, so they’d probably shoot you!”
“Indeed,” I added, dead serious. “I’m not going to waste valuable time going there. We’ve got Cape Canaveral coming up in a few hours.” The thought of me or any of the others possibly getting arrested for trespassing immediately came to mind. “Let me remind you all that even though we’re all having fun here, I’m spending my life savings to make this dream happen. You all have nothing to lose, but not me.”
Squiddly and Magilla clammed up immediately. I figured they knew what I was talking about: nobody else had any means of support. Hokey and his partner Ding-a-Ling only had their street smarts to get them out of jams. Lippy and Hardy were just struggling. While Magilla could simply go back to Peebles’ Pet Shop, it simply wasn’t a life. This was a ticket to a new life for them and I was not about to risk that for something stupid.
Breakfast, otherwise, was nothing special. The coffee was a little too strong for some of them, and some of the meals just weren’t up to par. Lippy, sitting opposite from me, wasn’t thrilled with the slightly-soggy pancakes, either. We still paid for the meal, though, and went on our way. At least Squiddly loved the bagels and lox.
To compensate for the lack of Disney in our lives, we made an unplanned stop at the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area in Orange County. The area brings hunters, birdwatchers, campers, hikers, botanists, fishermen and wildlife enthusiasts together under one roof, and today all of the above were out enjoying themselves.
We took plenty of pictures of birds that morning, with bald eagles and kestrels hunting for their next meal, while herons and ibises, among others, hung out in the wetlands. We were also able to get on camera a group of wild turkeys congregating nearby, with Mildew and Hokey instantly regretting not bringing a shotgun—if only we had one.
“Monsters,” Loopy said with a smirk, although I am certain that, deep down, he would’ve wanted it.
The excursion turned out to be a good thing: the heavy showers came in a few miles after we got back onto Route 524. Better now than later.
“Oh, dear,” Hardy moaned. “That’s going to ruin our plans.”
“Aww, don’t sweat it, Hardy!” replied his optimistic friend, Lippy. “Better now than when we’re out on the boat, right?”
“If you say so,” the sour-flavored hyena moped. “I suppose it could have been worse. We could have been out in the water when—“
As if on cue, lightning struck a few hundred feet away from us, startling everyone but especially Hardy, who would’ve jumped into Lippy’s lap had the seat belt not prevented him from doing so—and yet, we all soldiered on past the rain and out of danger, and just in time.
The timing was perfect: the sun shone brightly on the Indian and Banana rivers, the first things one sees before entering State Road A1A from the north. Sandwiched between the two rivers is Merritt Island, home to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, known throughout the world for NASA’s Apollo space missions that eventually put man on the moon for the first time in history.
We stopped at the northernmost point of Florida’s Space Coast—the town of Cape Canaveral, where space tourism and beach tourism combine to provide an unforgettable experience. As we were on a mix of both pleasure and business, however, we immediately sought out a boat to rent for today’s underwater journey.
Once we secured one, we got to work loading our gear from the trailer into the boat. To avoid confusion and clutter, not only are the swim fins and masks hooked to the belt of the harness, our names are marked on the backs of the harnesses so we do not end up wearing someone else’s kit. We then started on our way, into the Atlantic Ocean.
As we continued on our way, we were able to get a glimpse of houses lined along the streets, not far from the Space Coast’s gorgeous beaches. These streets bear the names of past U.S. Presidents, the greats and not-so-greats among them: Washington Avenue. Adams. Jefferson. Eventually ending with Harding.
“Huh. Coulda sworn Van Buren would get his due,” Wally said before letting out his familiar, ear-pleasing laugh, noting the absence of his own street.
Further along the coast, the beaches were endless, although the places had different names. Cocoa Beach? Satellite Beach? Melbourne Beach, just a drive away from the city of Melbourne? It’s all good. You get to enjoy the feeling of sand between your toes.
I made certain to check my gear to ensure everything was operational. I took a breath from the regulator and found no problems. While everyone else was testing their tanks and regulators, I went into the cabin to plot out a course for ourselves using a nautical map.
Now, Cape Canaveral itself is not an ideal place for diving. Consulting the guidebook, I had two options: either explore a natural reef twenty miles out of Port Canaveral in an area called Pelican Flats, or explore the wrecked Dutch steamship Laertes, the Allied cargo vessel sunk by a German U-109 in May 1942. We couldn’t tackle both at once, as those two were a mile apart. As I looked further through the book to see if there were other reefs, it turned out there are plenty of other wrecks along the waters off A1A, some of them much, much older.
My mind was made up: we would be exploring a reef that day. …Or at least, I thought! Maybe some of the gang wanted a change of scene early. If there were other natural reefs along the coast, they were hard to come by. So, I told them we’d go to the reef.
After agreeing amongst ourselves on 90 feet for 40 minutes with a seven-minute decompression stop, we geared up for our journey into the depths in our familiar way: tanks secured to harnesses; harnesses worn and buckled securely; fins snugly worn; mask lenses spat-at-and-rinsed before donning; regulators being given a final check.
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art by Kandlin
After a final safety briefing and the dropping of the anchor line, we were about to back-roll into the ocean when an Atlantic flyingfish flew up from the water and landed right on Breezly’s lap. We all had a terrific laugh over it, even after Breezly non-chalantly threw the fish back in the ocean, toward where the little fella had hoped to go.
“We could’ve had some lunch!” Lippy laughed. “Why’d you throw it back?”
“I didn’t want to punish him for one simple mistake!” Breezly replied with a warm smile to match his warm heart.
After that slight delay, we back-rolled into the water and slowly followed the anchor line down to the ocean floor, right next to where the reef was located.
Immediately the ten of us split up into several groups, giving us several times the opportunities for fun things to happen, though the feeling of water against one’s skin or fur is always a source of delight, regardless of the results of these dives.
One thing we noticed was that the reef was not a coral reef as some of us had hoped. Instead, we found plenty of short seagrass, an important source of nutrition for some of the aquatic life. The lack of coral gave me the first impression that the reef resembled a formation of mossy rocks and boulders one would perhaps find in the woods.
On the ocean floor nearby, Hardy swam close to what appeared to be a small, wide formation. It looked like it was a little smooth to the touch, unlike coral, so he brushed a few fingers along the length. The “formation” moved slightly, causing Hardy to jump back a little. The thing Hardy touched was a Florida sea cucumber, one of many such invertebrates found along Florida’s waters. To reassure Hardy, Lippy gently picked it up and showed its underside, with its many rows of tube feet, and the oral tentacles on the front side. Hardy nodded, having fully understood.
Meanwhile, Hokey and Wally, apparently not yet over their hunger pangs, scoped out a sizable group of lobsters congregating beneath a portion of the reef. With no net with which to catch them, and no way to bring them back, lest they carry it with them throughout the dive and even the decompression stop, they were at a loss. Even so, they were not about to be defeated.
Hokey beckoned for Loopy to swim over. Once Loopy joined the pair, Hokey pointed to the lobsters that were taking cover, then rubbed his belly to communicate everyone’s favorite language—food.
Loopy looked at Hokey quizzically, pointing up to the surface: did Hokey really intend to take his dinner up to the boat? When Hokey and Wally nodded in the affirmative, Loopy shook his head, not wanting anything to do with it.
Wally, however, had a plan, and he started to take off Loopy’s scarf, despite the wolf’s objections. Once Hokey got into the mess, Loopy had no chance. He then laid down one end of the scarf by the lobsters, waiting on one of them to take the bait. It didn’t take long, as one of them gripped the scarf.
Excitedly, Hokey pulled the scarf out, but the lobster, sensing what was happening, let go and rejoined the others.
Wally laid out the bait again, but before a lobster could hook onto it, Loopy, disgruntled, snatched the scarf away and swam far from them in order to put it back on. So much for lunch.
Meanwhile, our camera-octopus, Squiddly, located a gorgeous queen angelfish swimming alongside me. The somewhat fluorescent-looking colors on its body make it stand out from most of the other fish. Getting to experience seeing one up close is exciting enough, but when about a dozen more show up in the vicinity, you get worried about whether or not you actually loaded the film into the camera!
Some of the others were able to witness a loggerhead sea turtle swim by them. Mildew started off by following it, with Loopy instinctively joining his lupine companion. Soon, Lippy and Hardy were on the chase as well, though I do believe they just wanted to pet it. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just get it over with and form a conga line.
I followed Magilla and Breezly when they decided to stray a little from the reef. We had reached a sandy area where the two of them went fish-watching, without any of the others getting in the way.
We were able to witness a group of African pompanos on their way to the reef. While the juveniles prefer to go where the ocean currents lead them, adults prefer the coastline, in depths of up to 100 meters.
Outside of that, we were unable to find many fish of interest, outside of a solitary cocoa damselfish that swam right between the polar bear’s and gorilla’s bodies. The two of them turned around in unison just as the fish passed them; perhaps those two should have signed up for synchronized swimming instead.
We were about to rejoin the group when we saw what appeared to be a large school of fish—at least from a distance. As they drew ever closer, however, we realized they weren’t fish, but a group of about three dozen manta rays swimming towards us and above us. We quickly turned around, kicking our legs as quickly as we could, swim fins waving up and down, so that we could alert the others. We were going to get a chance to swim along with the rays.
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art by Enookie
Squiddly got in front of us so he could capture this epic scene. I positioned the other camera at a different angle, and we were on our way.
As we followed the group of rays, we were awestruck by the graceful movement of their pectoral fins. Taken individually, it’s a gorgeous sight, but to witness over thirty of them doing it was like viewing real-life natural art.
Mildew had the right idea when he swam the backstroke. The rays’ movements, combined with the limited light of the sun, made for the best viewing experience.
The mantas have a pair of horn-like cephalic fins on either side of their mouth. When the manta forages for food, these fins flatten in order to channel food into their mouths. At the surface they will feed on zooplankton such as shrimp and krill. At deeper depths such as these, they will feed on small or medium-sized fish.
As were were approaching a variety of fish, we had no choice but to let them be. Squiddly kept filming, yet kept a safe distance. As the rays fed on the sundry fish, I discovered, while editing this film for broadcast, that one of the rays may very have well feasted on that same cocoa damselfish Magilla and Breezly saw earlier. That’s the way life goes for an animal: one day you’re minding your own business, and the next day you’re gone. I would talk about life’s fleeting mortality, but that’s for some other show. It was time for us to ascend, anyway.
In deep dives, nitrogen starts to accumulate in the diver’s body. If a diver ascends like one usually would in a relatively shallow swimming pool, these nitrogen gases could turn into bubbles, thereby causing decompression sickness, which can be potentially fatal.
To help relieve the pressure, the diver’s ascent must be approximately thirty feet per minute. Depending on the details of the dive, a decompression stop may also be necessary fifteen feet from the surface. In this case, because of a 90-foot dive for 40 minutes, our wait was seven minutes. Even in dives at shorter depths, precautionary safety stops of three minutes may be required.
Because of the potential for danger, it is advised that dives are planned carefully. Use the most conservative figures when consulting dive tables. Know how much air you have, and do not plan lengthy dives if you don’t have the air to do a safety or decompression stop.
Squiddly Diddly, bless him, doesn’t have those disadvantages we mammals have. While we waited to ascend again, the good old octopus took the time to take one last tour of Pelican Flats, showcasing all its flora and fauna in its glory, however fleeting it may be. Who knows—maybe the fish Squiddly caught on camera could be the next to be swallowed up by a manta ray!
After the decompression stop, we made our final ascent to the boat, where we climbed out of the ocean, one at a time. Some of us laid back, gear still on, a little worn out from overstimulation.
“All those wasted years of trying to catch lambs,” Mildew chuckled. “Now this is living!”
“Who woulda thought? Swimming with manta rays!” Magilla said giddily, removing the gear one piece at a time and drying himself off.
“I think all of us needed that spark in our lives where we truly got to experience something special,” said I, stacking my fins and mask together as Squiddly climbed back onto the boat, the last to do so. “We’ve all forgotten how much of a thrill life could be. All we’ve been doing before is trying to survive.”
Lippy and Hardy, having known the feeling for years, nodded in agreement.
I slowly arose from the ledge and walked to the cabin. “All right. Let’s get this boat back, we get the gear back in, get our tanks refilled, and then finally we relax. I hear there are some good seafood places here.”
“How about a lobster?” Hokey said, smiling, eager for something exquisite.
“Me, too!” Wally added.
“Eh, we’ll see,” I said with a laugh, and the others were pretty much amused.
Once back on shore, we got the tanks refilled and all the gear loaded back onto the trailer. We bade farewell to Cape Canaveral and continued further south along A1A. Although Cape Canaveral isn’t a haven for divers, what we did see was good enough to warrant a visit, and the beaches are still very exquisite. If you would like to get to know NASA’s space program up-close and get wet and sandy—preferably not at the same time—set aside some time to visit the Space Coast.
Although we never got a chance to explore the Laertes shipwreck, a greater opportunity arose pre-dive when I learned of an early 18th-century Spanish ship, part of the doomed 1715 Treasure Fleet that transported goods and treasure from Spain’s territories back to the mainland. In our next episode, in which we travel to Florida’s Treasure Coast, we will explore one of those ships lost to a hurricane, the Urca de Lima, and perhaps come away with some treasure of our own.
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lachlantrash · 5 years
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"We need to talk about what happened last night."
"Hey, Preston!" You call to your friend over the loud music blasting. "Have you seen Lachlan? I haven't seen him in awhile and I know he's been drinking a lot tonight, I think I'm gonna take him home." You say quieter now that Preston's in hearing distance.
"I honestly have no idea where he is, he went to the bathroom awhile ago but I haven't seen him since." Preston shrugs. "I'll give you a shout if I find him though." Preston offers. You thank him before walking off, trying to find Lachlan so you can get the two of you home and take your damn heels off, pay your babysitter, and go to bed.
"Do you know where Lachlan is?" You ask Rob, seeing him passing by you in the hallway of the house you're at.
"Uh, yeah..." Rob trails off, making you confused.
"Well, where is he?" You laugh. "I'm kinda looking for him, I want to get him home because he's been drinking a lot, and honestly I just want to call it a night."
"Well uh, he's um, I saw him in that room over there, but he had a girl with him..." Rob trails off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
"He has a girl with him?" You ask slightly panicky, watching as Rob nods hesitantly. "Alright... Um, thanks." You murmur, heading to the room Rob pointed to. You're hesitant to open the door, but as soon as you think about what could possibly be going on behind it you impulsively open it. You're shocked to see Rob was right, Lachlan does have a girl with him. He's sitting on the bed in the room, a blonde girl sitting in his lap making out with your husband, moans flying out as she tugs his hair and he trails his hands on her hips, guiding her grinds.
"Hey, hey you! Get the fuck off of him, Jesus Christ!" You say, taking a few steps towards the bed but stopping, not knowing whether you want to fight the girl or burst into tears at the sight of your husband cheating on you.
"Um, who are you?" She asks, clearly confused as to what you're doing.
"I'm (Y/N), I'm his wife. Can you just, please just leave, oh my god I just, please." You stutter out, not sure in the slightest how you're going to handle what's going on. Obviously this girl doesn't have any clue on who Lachlan is and she must've missed the wedding band on his finger, but you're in an extreme amount of shock and you have no idea how to respond to the situation at hand.
"Omg, I'm so sorry like I promise I had no idea he was married and-" She cuts herself off, watching you shake your head with tears starting to build up in your eyes. "Alright yeah, I'll just, um, go..." She trails off, getting off of Lachlan's lap and basically running out of the room.
"Hi (Y/N)!" Lachlan laughs excitedly, standing from the bed and walking towards you. "How are you, baby?" He asks drunkenly, going to grab for you but stops as you step away from him.
"I'm just fucking dandy, Lachlan." You hiss, trying to figure out your thoughts right now. You have a kid together, you're married!
"You sound upset." He pouts, obviously confused at what's going on.
"We need to go home." You dismiss his comment. "C'mon, go." You say, stopping in the doorway and waiting until you know Lachlan's following you to leave the house. You open the passenger door to your car silently, letting Lachlan get in before shutting it and going to the driver's seat.
"Are you mad at me?" Lachlan asks, looking at you confusedly as you're driving, tears silently streaming down your face.
"I don't know, Lachlan. I honestly don't know." You say, biting your lip to hold back all the things you want to say to him right now. You don't know how to react, he's obviously extremely drunk but even in your most drunken state, you never would even consider making out with another guy.
"What did I do? I'm sure I can make it better." He whines, going to grab your free hand which you yank away from him, making him pout even further.
"You just need to go to bed right when we get home, okay? I don't want to talk to you right now." You tell him honestly.
"Alright babe, I can go to sleep." He sighs, eyebrows furrowed as he still doesn't recall what he could've done to make you mad, but willing to do the simple task you request of him.
As soon as you get home, Lachlan wastes no time in going upstairs and stripping down to his boxers, getting into bed and under the covers. "Are you coming?" He mumbles out, looking at you over the comforter.
"I don't know, just go to bed." You say, going into your three year old son, Sawyer's room. You find the babysitter you hired sitting in the rocking chair, shooting her a fake smile as you pay her for watching your son. As soon as she leaves, the tears start freely flowing down your face as you sit in the rocking chair.
"Mumma?" You hear from the bed, looking to see Sawyer awake, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he stumbles out of the bed. "Mumma, you okay?" He asks, pulling your hands away from your face as he sees the tears streaming. "No crying." He says, crawling onto your lap.
"I'm sorry Sawyer, mumma just, mumma just got hurt, that's all." You say, having no idea what to tell your son.
"Hurt?" He repeats, watching you nod. He gives you a kiss on the forehead, then one on both of your cheeks. "I make it better?" He asks, making you laugh because that's what you do whenever Sawyer has a booboo.
"I love you so much Sawyer, but I don't think kisses can fix this kinda booboo." You murmur, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Can mumma sleep in here tonight, baby? Can I sleep in your bed with you?" You ask him, not wanting to share a bed with Lachlan tonight.
"Okay, you had a bad dream?" He asks expectantly.
"Yeah, something like that." You sigh, making Sawyer look relieved for a second. He knows cuddles help him when he has a nightmare and he's assuming that's whats going on right now. "Mumma will be right back, I just need to put my pajamas on." You tell him, planting a kiss on his forehead before carrying him to his bed. You move back to the master bedroom, noticing Lachlan passed out in bed as soon as you walk in.
"What the fuck am I going to do with you." You sigh, feeling a fresh wave of pain roll through you as you look at him. You're honestly considering calling it quits, considering putting your wedding ring on the bedside table beside him and taking Sawyer to a hotel tonight and coming back to get your shit tomorrow, taking Sawyer back to Florida with you. But you know you'll never be able to do that, you could never leave Lachlan and even if you were strong enough to do that, you'd never take his son away from him. You go into your closet, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and one of the baggiest hoodies you have before going into the attached bathroom and doing your nightly routine as quickly as possible. In a last minute decision, you put a glass of water and some aspirin on the bedside table next to Lachlan before sneaking off to Sawyer's room, getting into the twin sized bed with him.
"Goodnight mumma, no more bad dreams, okay?" Sawyer says to you, patting your head twice before laying down.
"Alright Sawyer, I love you." You murmur, glad you have one person you have to protect to keep you sane right now. If you didn't have Sawyer, you're certain you'd be on a flight to Florida right now and Lachlan would have to go there to try and talk things out, but you have a son you have to be strong for tonight, which is what you're telling yourself as you pull the little boy closer to you, making both him feel comforted and you.
~~~~In the morning.~~~~
"Shh daddy, mumma's still sleeping." You hear Sawyer say, shaking you out of your sleep.
"Why is she in here?" You hear Lachlan say, obviously hungover.
"She had a bad dream. I gave her cuddles to make her all better." The little boy beside you says. The bed dips as he gets out of it. "She's sad, daddy. I don't like mumma crying." You hear Sawyer say, making you feel guilty for showing him you were upset.
"Well why was she crying, buddy?" Lachlan asks.
"Hey uh, I'm awake now." You announce awkwardly, not wanting Sawyer to be dragged into this any further.
"You feel better, mumma?" Sawyer asks, walking back towards you with a hopeful smile on his face.
"Yeah, I feel much better buddy. Thank you for letting me sleep here last night." You tell him, pulling him into a hug that you know you're going to need to get through your conversation with Lachlan. "How about you go watch some Pokemon downstairs so I can talk to daddy, okay? I'll make pancakes when I'm finished." You tell Sawyer, wanting him to miss this conversation. He quickly nods, running down the hall without another word as the excitement of pancakes takes over him.
"Why'd you sleep in here last night?" Lachlan laughs, sitting in the rocking chair. "Were you as wasted as me? I honestly don't even remember how we got home, I'm hoping you called us a cab." He laughs, looking at you as his smile falters, not seeing any sign of humor on your face.
"We need to talk about what happened last night." Is all you say, standing from the twin sized bed and going down the hall to the master bedroom.
"Okay... What happened last night?" You hear Lachlan who trailed in behind you, seeing you sitting on the bed playing with your wedding ring.
"Do you want to be married to me?" You blurt out, making Lachlan extremely confused.
"Of course I want to be married to you, I wouldn't have proposed or gone through with the whole wedding if I didn't. Why are you asking?" Lachlan asks, sitting on the bed beside you and only growing more confused as you stand up, moving to the window seat.
"I don't know, Lachlan. I just can't think of any other reason I would've found you making out with a girl at the party last night, unless you don't want to be married to me." You say, taking your eyes off your ring and looking at Lachlan.
"I... What? Making out with some girl?" He asks, seemingly stunned at what you're telling him.
"Yeah, I walked in to tell you we should head out... And you just... You were sitting on the bed and, you were... You were kissing her and she was, she was sitting in your lap and just, you were making out with her..." You say frantically, vividly picturing the scene from last night, Lachlan's hands on the girls hips as they were making out on the bed, the girls hands in his hair.
"Hey don't cry, hey now!" Lachlan says, breaking you out of thought. "I don't, I don't remember any of that, (Y/N). Are you sure you weren't drunk last night?" He asks, making you scoff.
"Are you really accusing me of making this up, Lachlan? I'm fucking, I can't handle this. I think I'm gonna, I'm gonna take Sawyer and fly to my mom's for awhile, alright? I can't talk to you if you're gonna think I'm lying, I need a fucking drink or something." You sigh out, angry tears rolling down your face as you get off the window seat, pacing around the bedroom trying to figure out what to do.
"No, no no! You're not taking Sawyer anywhere and you're not leaving, okay! I'm not accusing you of anything, I just honest to god do not remember making out with anyone last night." Lachlan says as he stands from the bed, going to walk towards you but stopping himself once he sees the hurt in your eyes as you make eye contact with him.
"Well I remember it, Lachlan. It's all I can fucking remember, it's like each time I close my eyes all I see is you sitting on that bed, this fucking blonde girl sitting in your lap as you hold her by her hips and she's tugging away at your hair while she grinds herself against your crotch, and you two are kissing and you, you let out a moan and I just wanted to punch her and I just want to fucking punch you even now, and I just, I want to cry and I want to leave but I don't want to fucking leave I just can't handle having seen that and I just, if you want a divorce just tell me, okay?" You say, breath hitched as you finish, tears freely rolling down your face now.
"I... I'm sorry. I know that means literally nothing, I just can't remember a single thing from last night after you left to go talk to Mitch at the party. I don't remember any blonde girl, I honest to god don't. But if you want to punch me, I get it. Feel free to. Just, please don't leave (Y/N). I don't want a divorce, all I want is you and Sawyer and our family. I only want you guys, okay? I don't know why I would make out with someone while I was drunk but I can't even begin to imagine what it must've felt like to walk in on it. If I ever found you like that, if the situation was reversed, I think I would've fucking murdered the guy. I can't believe you were even capable of driving my drunk ass home, I'm so sorry for whatever happened last night but if you feel like we need to get divorced, that's going to fucking suck so much, but I won't argue it if this is your reason for it. I fucked up so bad last night, I literally fucking cheated on you, if you can't find it in you to forgive me and want to call it quits I have to respect that, but just know I fucking love you no matter what, okay? I love you and Sawyer more than I love anything in this fucking world, and I don't know what the fuck went through my head to make me jeopardize that." He says, voice cracking multiple times as he begins to cry.
"I don't know what the fuck to do, Lachlan! I want to believe it was just a drunken mistake, but I know I would never even fucking consider making out with a guy while drunk, I could never do that to you. I want our family to be fine, I want to be able to burn the sight of her on your lap from my mind, but I can't shake it out of my head. It's like I'm being fucking tortured with it, and I just want to cry. Can you, can you go to the recording studio today? I need a break, I really do. I need to fucking clear my head, please." You say, burying your face into your hands to hide your tears.
"I'm sorry I broke you, (Y/N)." Lachlan says, crying himself now. "I'll go I just, when I come back you and Sawyer will still be here, right? I don't want to come home to an empty house." He sniffles.
"I'm not going to take him away from you." You say, trying to wipe your tears away to put on a front for your son.
"What about you, will you be here when I get back?" He asks, having begun to collect himself too.
"Yes. I don't know where we'll be, you and I, but Sawyer and I won't leave the house today." You say. "I want you to take this today, I don't want to have it on right now." You say, starting to tear up again as you take off your wedding ring and place it on the vanity.
"I am not going to take your wedding ring, no fucking way." Lachlan argues. "If I take that, then it means that we're not gonna get through this, and I really want us to get through this, please keep the ring." He practically begs.
"I can't, Lachlan. I can't keep the ring on, so many promises made on that ring were broken last night, I don't even want to see the ring it symbolizes so much." You say, trying to stand your ground.
"Fine I'll take the ring with me, but just, you know that means nothing, right? We can still get through this, we can work on this. I can, I can stop drinking. I'll never touch another beer in my life, right? Then I'll never blackout again, and we can stay together. Or, we can just drink here. I'll never go to another party, ever. I will block every girl I know online right now, but I just don't want you thinking everything is over because you took the ring off." He says, throwing ideas out left and right.
"I need to think Lachlan, when Sawyer goes to bed tonight we can talk again." You mutter quietly, walking into your closet and shutting the door to show that right now, this conversation is over. "Tell Sawyer to come up here and get me when you leave, please." You say, changing into a pair of yoga shorts and another baggy hoodie, moving to your bathroom as you wait for Lachlan to leave.
"Mumma?" You hear a few minutes later, a knock on the closet door. You open it, and immediately pick Sawyer up to hold him to you.
"Mumma loves you so much, Sawyer. No matter what happens, I love you. You know that, right?" You ask, placing kisses all over your toddlers face.
"Yes, mumma. Stop the kisses, make pancakes." Sawyer giggles, lightly pushing your face away from his.
"Alright, let's go make pancakes." You say, grateful for the distraction.
~~~~Later on.~~~~
"Goodnight Sawyer, I love you." You murmur to the sleeping toddler, pressing a kiss to his head before leaving his room.
"Is he asleep?" Lachlan asks you as you enter the master bedroom.
"Yup." You sigh, going into the closet without another word to change into a set of pajamas before going to have the dreadful conversation. After changing, you step into the master bedroom and make home on the window seat since Lachlan is on the bed.
"I want to start by reminding you that I love you, and that I will do anything possible to keep our family going, you know that?" Lachlan asks, and the only response you give is a nod of your head.
"So obviously I've done some thinking since you went to the recording studio. Sawyer helped a lot, I mean obviously I didn't tell him what was going on, I would never want to tell him regardless of his age anything that could make him hate you. But I gave him an extremely pg version of what happened, how his daddy really hurt my feelings a lot, how in a way I guess we're fighting,"
"We're not fighting, we're going through something extremely fucking difficult, but we're not fighting. I admit what you saw me doing was so fucked up, there's nothing to fight about." Lachlan says cutting you off. "Sorry, continue." He says after you glare at him.
"I love Sawyer. He's probably the only reason I even came back here with you last night, in all honesty." You sigh, seeing the worry take over Lachlan's face. "I asked him what I should do, I asked him what he thinks. I gave him a few different options, y'know because he's only three, he's not gonna get the seriousness of the situation. I asked him if I should leave and take a break, I asked him if his mumma and daddy should have two houses instead of one. I asked if I should just kick daddy out, and he laughed at that one. He found it hysterical. I asked him if I should just forgive and try to pretend nothing happened, and then I asked if I should try to move past this slowly, take my time for my booboos to heal. He told me that I'm mumma and I always pick right so it was my decision, and I started crying because I didn't know what to do, I still don't know if I even picked the right thing to do." You say, a bitter laugh leaving your mouth.
Lachlan's sitting on the bed silently, trying to read your facial expression for any hint of what you've decided on. He's only hurting himself more at the sight, because all he sees when he looks at you is how hurt you truly are. He's thinking even if you do forgive him, whether it be now or in the future, he doesn't know if he'll ever truly forgive himself. He can't believe he even would make out with someone other than you, and he can't believe the immense pain he's caused you. He knows if roles were reversed he wouldn't be able to sit here and even consider taking you back, he'd be too far down a bottle probably to even be able to be around. He doesn't know how he's ever met someone as strong as you, and he doesn't know how in a drunken state he risked everything.
"I decided I need time, Lachlan." You sigh out finally, looking over at him. "I'm not going to fly back to Florida, I'm not going to move out, I'm just, I need some time before we're okay, okay?" You say, looking at him and trying to make eye contact.
"So... You aren't going to divorce me?" He says a few minutes later, a huge sigh he was holding in leaving as he speaks.
"No... I'm not going to divorce you. But I'm not taking the ring back yet. I'm not sleeping in here yet, I'll sleep in the guest room I guess... I don't think I can share a bed with you right now. I don't want you to try and kiss me or touch me or do anything romantic, okay? I need to figure out how to get the images out of my mind before any of that happens... I just want to be platonic right now. I want us to speak as though nothing happened, I want us to look like we're still happy for Sawyer, and I want us to work on us. Is that okay with you? Is this alright so far?" You question.
"Yeah... Yeah, I don't really have a say in this. I'm just, I'm honestly just happy you aren't throwing our marriage away completely." Lachlan says immediately, wasting no time in getting you to continue.
"But I also have a few rules. I'm sorry, I know I promised you I'd never be the wife who makes rules for her husband, but I think I have to. I don't want you drinking at parties, Lachlan. Obviously even with me there it's a concern if there are other girls there, if you're drunk out of your mind you get disconnected from reality, as we found out." You say, trying not to become emotional as you speak. "I mean, if we're at like, Jerome and Mitch's house or something and it's just us, Jess, and a few of the guys that's fine, you can drink whatever you want. But at a party with a lot of people there, with girls I don't know... I really don't want you to drink. At least right now. God, I sound so controlling I'm so-"
"Don't apologize, I get it. I told you I'd do anything, remember? I meant that. I'm going to do anything to show you that I want us to work, I'm going to make us work. I deserve any rule you set and will follow it without question right now, okay? Whatever makes you feel more secure in our relationship, I'll do it." He cuts you off again, not wanting to hear you apologize for anything.
"I don't want you shut in a room alone with any girl I don't know. Even shut in a room with another girl seems wrong, but please for my sanity never with a girl I don't know. Even if I walked in and something innocent was happening, I think it would open this wound right back up." You say, watching him nod before continuing.
"I want you to let Sawyer know everything's okay. This one is extremely selfish, but I want you to figure out what to tell him if he asks why you and I don't cuddle or aren't sleeping in the same bed." You say, becoming quiet as that was the last rule.
"Is that all?" Lachlan asks, and you nod. "I'm surprised there aren't more." He says, a small smile being thrown your way. "I'm going to promise you right now, I'm not going to parties and if you decide to drag me to one, or if there's just one I can't miss, I'm not going to drink. I need to put my priorities in order, and on the top of that list is you and Sawyer. The state I was in last night does not benefit either of you in anyway and it jeopardizes so many things, I can't let myself get into it again. I know my promise means nothing right now, but I'll prove it. I'll hold onto your ring and as soon as you feel right wearing it, it's all yours. The only thing I'm going to fight is you sleeping in here. You've done nothing wrong, you take this bed. I'll set the air mattress up in here and sleep on it if that's okay, so Sawyer won't think anything of it." Lachlan says, standing off the bed to motion to it as yours.
"Alright, if you really would rather sleep on the air mattress." You say.
"Of course I would, sleeping on the air mattress with you staying in the house is better than sleeping in the bed without having you. I'll be back with the air mattress... Goodnight (Y/N)." Lachlan says, disappearing out of the room. You crawl into the bed, already missing the nights where Lachlan would hold you to him. You know the physical break is needed, if you don't have it you know all you'll be envisioning is whether the blonde was a better kisser, whether Lachlan's thinking of her when he's cuddling you. Eventually Lachlan gets the air mattress set up on the floor, and he has you toss him his pillow from the bed before turning the lights out in the room. You sit in the darkness, continuing to think.
"Lachlan?" You mumble out into the darkness.
"Yeah, (Y/N)?" Lachlan responds immediately, fearful you've reconsidered and you're going to ask him to leave.
"I still love you. I know I probably shouldn't, but I just had to let you know before you fell asleep that I still do, because if anything were to happen... I just want you to know it." You sigh, and Lachlan's nerves fall.
"I love you, (Y/N). I messed up, but we'll get through this." Lachlan says with desperation in his voice, his words soothing you as you start to drift off.
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theautumnarchive · 7 years
Text
I wanted to write a post commemorating the official one month mark of my hrt, but I don't think I have the energy to muster faux excitement today.
The therapy is going fine. Rather uneventful so far. My reaction to the last shot was a little better than it has been to every other one since the initial shot. Still itches. Still red. Just tolerable.
I am excited about the hrt, honestly, but right now I'm in the middle of a low point brought on by my own inability to keep my mouth shut. I have substantial issues with emotional, physical, or romantic attachments to people, and I thought that perhaps I had found.. Not a solution, but a lifeline, I think... But sometimes it's better not to reach for those lifelines.
It has come to my attention that any time I try to take a leap of faith for myself, at least in this regard, that I end up worse off. When I moved to Florida, I was in the middle of a divorce and I thought that would be the last relationship I'd ever be in. He was a decent person, but we were completely incompatible and his unwillingness or perhaps inability to acknowledge my emotional and physical needs and limitations left me pretty damaged. The four years I spent with him in Louisiana left me so touch-starved and heartbroken that I used to cry myself to sleep because he always pulled away from me when I reached for his hand at night.
He was respectful when I told him I'd realized I was ace. It was nice, because we'd only had one conversation about asexuality before and it went about as bad as it could go without physical violence. It was nice, but it was the last bit of physical interaction we had. I think my coming out cost me whatever bit of attraction he had left for me. Its fine, though. We agreed to part ways and I thought, well, that was the end of that. I have a hard time figuring out how to communicate and connect with other people beyond friendship. I'm not even particularly good at that, but I get lucky, I think. Proximity does the bulk of the work. I just figured that that rollercoaster of a marriage would be my last exercise in romance.
But I was wrong. I wish I had been right. Florida has been a bittersweet experience for me in really every meaningful way. I got caught off guard by a boy who I connected with on so many points that I had never shared with one person. He was friendly and interesting and brilliant and I should've been grateful to just have shared a timeline with a shooting star like that. I was, really. I had no intention of going anywhere beyond friends with him. Powers beyond myself intervened, however, and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself experiencing that sappy shit you always read about in books and see in movies. I haven't been so high on a heartstring since I was fourteen. But I miscalculated. I wasn't ready. I said my marriage screwed me up and I meant it. I was so anxious that I'd screw it up and lose that happiness that I made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. I needed him too much. I wasn't even.. I don't even think he liked me, to be honest. I think he wanted to. I think he tried. And I wasn't honest. I thought if I told him about being ace, if I told him that my chromosomes messed up and my body is wrong, that he'd realize it wasn't worth all that red tape. Maybe I was right, but it doesn't matter, because I lost anyway.
That was a hit with a harder contact than I expected. I was wrecked over some guy who I had barely known a season. I thought maybe I loved him - how sad is that? I'm so mixed up and bandaged that I think I might love somebody because they make me feel like I matter. And the truth is that he really didn't. When I was in his presence, everything was firecrackers, but then I wouldn't hear from him for days or he'd take a bad emotional day out on me when I made conversation at work. But I can't feel properly. It takes so much out of me to feel any emotional at all - anger, happiness, excitement, fear, love - that those high moments were everything. And when the person who finally made me feel again was gone, I broke.
It was embarrassing and pitiful and disappointing. Someone helped, though. I assumed that losing him would mean losing his friends that I'd met, as well. But one of them stayed. And he was helpful and patient and listened.
Maybe it was my fault for not putting barriers up right away. I don't know. I like to blame the fact that I'm quoiromantic and say that I could've been fine being friends if I'd never been given an alternative, but that's probably not true. It's probably more like a total disbelief that anyone is ever actually interested in me, and especially one who already knows all of the baggage I come with. He was the first person I came out to as trans. He was one of the few people I've met who shared my ace status and didn't need further clarification or ask if that meant I'd been sexually assaulted.
I guess I took that for granted, too. And this one was the relationship equivalent of a nuclear bomb. What a disaster. I made so many mistakes. I should've been more patient. I should've learned from the last 10 years of being a complete failure and pulled my own reigns back. But I didn't. And I wasn't there for him the way he always had been for me. I lost him, too.
We're all friends now. Or, we're supposed to be. I think I'm always going to be a sort of supporting character, especially because I was introduced because I was dating someone. You're never going to be an equal after that. And I don't know what it is that I'm trying to say here, really, except that I just keep messing up. I vascillate between still being a little head over for one or both of them and being fine without anything other than their friendship. It's really frustrating not being able to understand what you actually feel for other people. It leads to a lot of bad calls.
I am in the state I am currently because of another in a long string of bad calls. I wanted to try and see if someone knowing me, the real me, who I am supposed to be, and accepting that would make me less distraught about sexual intimacy. I asked the one person in the entire world who I trust enough with that charge if they thought it was worth testing the hypothesis. But I shouldn't have. Do you know what's sad? Out of this entire post of self-pity and disappointment? The saddest thing to me is that a major contributing factor in my confidence that I could try out this theory with this person was a single night that we spent spooning in the same bed. Honestly, it wasn't the best sleep I've ever had or the moment I realized I loved him or anything cheesy like that. I just felt safe. I felt like all the bullshit up until that point was okay because I had ended up there. I know that experience was strange and new and stressful for him, but I needed it and he cared about me and I was happy and safe. I just thought that trying to get past my traumatic sexual past by taking it slow and honest and positive with someone who is willing to go through a lot of shit for me would work out in the end. He made me feel safe in a time and place where I never have that luxury. I just want to feel normal. I want to have one fucking box unchecked on the list of qualifiers that supersedes my personality and worth. It is hard to be ace and hard to be trans and hard to be gay and hard to have arthritis and fibromyalgia and anxiety and depression and nerve damage and it's really fucking hard to be all of those things at once. I just.. I just wanted to feel normal.
But I should've kept that to myself. I never keep my mouth shut and I told myself it was going to come off idiotic and make him think I was trying to subvert his decision to not entertain relationships anymore. That wasn't what I wanted. I won't lie and act like I don't wish I had done a lot of things differently and that I had gotten it right the first time, but the feeling isn't mutual and I respect that. This was a separate thought entirely. But it doesn't matter. For a lot of reasons, or just one big reason, it didn't work out. It's fine. I'm fine. But I should've kept my mouth shut. I was embarrassed when I thought of it the first time, embarrassed when I proposed it, and I'm embarrassed now. I feel stupid because I got my hopes up. Because I keep thinking that telling people what I actually think is a good idea. Because I never learn. Because I dragged someone else into my mess and made a stressful situation when I didn't have to, like I always do. And at the end of it all, I'm still just as bad off as I was. Perhaps worse, actually, because there's a chance I'll have to watch the two people I can't let go fall into each other eventually. And the fact that that hurts me makes me feel worse because, shit, I should be happy for them. That's what a friend would do. But I'm selfish in my loneliness and neediness and I say things like, "what if we all dated," because I'm poly and I genuinely think it's a good idea and we would all be good for each other and keep each other afloat and mentally stable and because monogamy puts too much pressure on people like me who crave intimacy but need a lot of personal space, when I should've just kept my mouth shut. Again.
So, yes, it's the 24th today and it's my first month on T over with. I hope that next month ends with a lesson more thoroughly learned. Sorry, mom.
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thesundanceghost · 7 years
Note
could you pls write some angst about steve getting married to someone and jonathan and nancy going to the wedding, even though they're still in love with him??
okay like first off this hurt me and second of all this hurt me and third of all… well, here you go.  and naturally i had to add a whole beginning part leading up to the wedding to justify the situation.  I’m gonna need to write so much fluff after this.
(this takes place in the universe where the ot3 become full-time monster hunters after high school)
Jonathan guessed it started when they visited Steve’s cousin Andrew in Florida.  He’d just had a kid, and Steve wanted to meet the new baby Harrington, so the trio took a break from monster hunting for a week and drove down.  It had been a great trip– Andrew was one of the less-crazy people in that family, and baby Henry was absolutely adorable.  Steve had bonded with the kid in no time flat, and it was like he’d found his calling with the kid.
They’d gotten back on the road quickly enough, but something changed after that.  They’d had their differences before– people tend to have low spots when you’ve been together for five whole years– but it was more noticeable now.  Steve had been getting less and less eager about their jobs.  When they’d wander around small towns across the country, he’d point some of them out, making a casual comment about nice places to live and raise a family.  The comments always seemed to put Nancy in a bad mood, and things would be tense until Jonathan changed the subject.  They argued more, and while they always apologized and forgave each other, they never really seemed to move past anything.  
They loved each other as much as ever, that hadn’t changed.  But they weren’t happy, and the thought of it drove Jonathan crazy.  He would stay up late at night, mind on fire with worry and anxiety and the constant dread of “we’re not going to make it.”
They were hunting a monster in Detroit when Steve got thrown off a bridge into a creek.  Nancy and Jonathan had finished the job quickly and sprinted to him, minds immediately jumping to conclusions, but he’d been okay.  Unconscious, with a broken leg and a concussion, but okay.
They all knew it’d take him some time to recover, and crammed in the backseat of a crappy car with no air conditioning wasn’t the place to do that, so he’d gone home to stay with his mother and rest while Jonathan and Nancy stayed on the road.
They were apart for a month, with a few phone calls or postcards to check in.  Jonathan could tell Nancy was restless about the absence, and Jonathan shared the feeling, but sometimes at night he would find it a bit easier to breathe.  He wasn’t worried about the next time Steve would try to bring up settling down or Nancy would go out of her way to find a job to avoid conversations about the three of them.  But he didn’t like to think about that.
When Steve was fully recovered, they drove down to Hawkins.  Jonathan didn’t really know what to expect.  He had gotten that terrible feeling in his stomach that something was wrong, something was wrong, and he couldn’t fix it.  The feeling only intensified when Steve met them at the door, a nervous and sick look on his face.
“I met someone.”  Jonathan had never forgotten the way those words sounded on Steve’s lips.  He knew it was coming, or something along those lines at least, but there was no way to prepare himself for how much pain that would bring.
Steve had explained the whole thing.  How it didn’t really mean anything, she was just a friend he’d made, she wanted a family as desperately as he did, on and on and on.  Jonathan hadn’t been able to say a thing in return, just taking in the whole thing with a nauseous sort of understanding.
Nancy hadn’t reacted well.
“If you want a family then we’ll have a damn family!”
“It’s not the same and you know it, Nancy,” Steve had shot back, a pained look on his face.  Jonathan could tell he hadn’t wanted to fight.  Not about this.  “We can’t just… we’d have to go back to pretending we’re not together, and you know how terrible that was! You want it to be me and you, and Jonathan’s the other guy who lives with us that we never quite manage to explain?  You want Jonathan to never be able to say that’s my kid without it being a huge ordeal?”
Jonathan flinched at the thought, but still hadn’t said anything.
“Then we don’t lie!” Nancy had yelled back.  She was crying by that point.
“Great, so then the neighbors and the schools and everyone gets concerned about the ‘implications’ of our lifestyle and whether it’s healthy or not to raise a kid?  You know what happens to people like me and Jonathan.  Add you to the mix, and that makes it even worse.  I don’t want to do that to us.”  Steve was practically begging.
“So that’s it then?  You’re just going to leave?”
Jonathan felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and he’d bolted out of the room, unable to listen to anymore.
He’d found Steve later that night, hunched over the table with a beer abandoned beside him.  He wasn’t sure where Nancy had gone to, but he’d worry about her later.  Steve was sobbing, and Jonathan’s heart clenched terribly at the sight, feeling his eyes burn with tears.  He felt like he hadn’t stopped crying that whole day.
“I love you,” Steve had whispered when Jonathan had sat beside him, gripping his hand tightly.  “I love you, and I love Nancy, and I don’t want to let you go.”
“I know,” Jonathan had managed, voice cracking.
Steve looked up at him.  “It was always going to be you or me.  Nancy doesn’t get that, but you did, didn’t you?  Nancy was always a certainty, but for us… we were always going to run out of time.  We were always going to have to choose.”
Jonathan had gotten bitten by monsters, thrown down flights of stairs, even shot in the leg, but he couldn’t remember anything more painful that those words.  Because Steve was right.  Jonathan had always known it too, deep deep down.  But he’d never had to deal with it until right then.
**********
He’d gotten the news over the phone from his mother, seven months later when him and Nancy were in Washington renting a small cabin.  He could tell there’d been something off from the start of the conversation, her phrases a bit too hesitant and forced.  Finally she’d come out and said it, blurting it all out quickly.  He’d hung up the phone shortly after that.
Nancy walked in five minutes later, lunch in her hands.
“Steve’s getting married,” he said, not sure what else to say.  
She didn’t say anything.  They were quiet before Nancy grabbed her gun out of her suitcase and stormed out to the backyard.  He’d heard six solid shots ring out before it was quiet.  She’d stayed outside for ten minutes before coming back in, her eyes and nose bright red.  She climbed into his lap without a word and they’d embraced each other tightly for an indefinite amount of time.
**********
Please join us on Sunday, May 19th, 1991 to celebrate the wedding of Diane Noll and Steve Harrington…
The invitation burned into Jonathan’s mind the entire way back to Indiana.  Nancy was quiet in the passenger’s seat as they drove towards home.  They were planning on stopping in Hawkins first to meet up with their family and then they’d drive up with Nancy’s parents, Joyce, and Hopper, who’d all decided to attend.
His mother had hugged him far longer than usual when she’d seen him, and Jonathan had seen Karen do the same for Nancy.
The venue was beautiful.  It was more elegant that what Jonathan had originally expected, but he suspected a lot of it was because of Steve’s parents.  The Harringtons were the first people Jonathan had spotted, though they’d done nothing but nod sharply at him before embracing a couple that he suspected to be the bride’s parents.
Him and Nancy had greeted a few more members of Steve’s extended family, shrugging off the label of “Steve’s old friends” with some difficulty.
They found Steve not too long after arriving.  He’d just finished getting ready it seemed, and Jonathan had frozen when they spotted him, feeling Nancy do the same.  Steve stared at them for a long moment, crossing to them slowly.
“Hey guys,” he managed after a second.  “I’m… I’m really glad you’re here.”
Jonathan knew he meant it.  He was smiling at the both of them with a sort of wistfulness that couldn’t be faked.  He nodded, taking a moment to smile back.  He hugged Steve tightly, feeling the taller man let out a happy laugh before he hugged Nancy.  Nancy embraced him for a long while, closing her eyes, and Jonathan stared at the two of them, heart aching painfully.
“Are you ready?” Nancy had asked when they broke apart.  Steve gave a nervous laugh and raised a hand as if to ruffle his hair before putting it down again, probably remembering that he didn’t have time to fix it again.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, honestly,” Steve had said, exhaling loudly, like he couldn’t believe what he was doing.
Jonathan hadn’t known what to say to that, but luckily Steve’s mother had shown up to whisk her son away.  Jonathan took Nancy’s hand in his and together they made their way inside to take their seats.
The wedding was perfect.  Everything went off without a hitch, and everyone looked beautiful, especially the bride and the groom.  Jonathan had to smile at how nervous Steve looked through the ceremony, eyes darting around anxiously, but he slowly relaxed as it went on.  Diane looked stunning, though she seemed a bit nervous as well, letting out a couple nervous giggles, which Steve echoed back.  They’d only met the bride once before, but Jonathan knew she had that same kind of infectious laughter as Steve did.
Nancy was still and quiet through the whole thing.  While Diane was saying her vows, Jonathan glanced at his girlfriend.  She was biting her bottom lip harshly, eyes fixed unwaveringly on the couple.  Jonathan knew what she was thinking about.  That could’ve been her, and in some people’s opinions, it should’ve been her.  Almost everyone in Hawkins had predicted that Nancy would wind up marrying Steve, including Jonathan at one point.  It made sense.  But here they were.
He slipped his hand into hers, taking a deep breath when she squeezed it back so tightly it verged on painful.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride!”
Jonathan looked away.
**********
If the ceremony had been the Harringtons’ idea, the reception had been purely Steve’s.  It was fun, truly a party, with mostly upbeat music, radiant lights, drinks all around.  Everyone was laughing, and only partly due to the open bar.  The entire place was filled with a positive energy that made you want to get up and dance.
Diane’s mother had given a speech, followed by Steve’s cousin, who was his best man.  Steve had asked Jonathan if he would do it, but when Jonathan had hesitated, he’d backed down.
“I get it,” Steve had assured him.  “You’d probably hate making that stupid speech anyways, I’m not gonna make you do it.  But it is you, you know, I mean… you’re my best man.”
After that, Steve and Diane (Diane Harrington, his mind kept reminding him) had their first dance, predictably to a cheesy Journey song that made Jonathan snort into his wine glass.  The couple grinned at each other through the whole thing, moving gracefully together, like they were in their own world.
The dance floor filled with people after that, but Jonathan and Nancy stayed sitting for the most part.  Nancy danced once with her father, and Jonathan took the time to dance with his mother, but it felt strange to dance together at Steve’s wedding.  When they were around other people, it was easier to fake smiles and laughs.  But just looking at Nancy and holding her would just remind Jonathan of how much everything had changed.
Steve had made his way over to them eventually, the grin on his face softening to something more genuine when he stopped in front of them.  “Nancy,” he said, nodding to the floor.  A slower song had just started and the place was flooding with couple.  “Would you dance with me?”
Nancy took a deep breath, looking anxious, but had gotten to her feet anyway. Jonathan watched them as Steve slipped an arm around her waist and Nancy rested her hand on his shoulder, looking pained.
“Would you like to dance, Jonathan?” He looked up in surprise at Diane, who was smiling hopefully down at him.  He hadn’t even noticed her arrival, he’d been so caught up in the others.   “While my husband’s otherwise occupied?”
He blinked at her, not sure what to say.  He hated dancing, especially in public, and he didn’t think it would be much better being the partner of his ex-boyfriend’s wife.
He gave a tiny glance to where the other two were dancing.  Steve was watching them, an anxious look in his eyes, and Jonathan realized how much this meant to him.  He looked back at Diane with a smile and got to his feet.  “Sure.”
It was awkward, honestly.  Jonathan was still a terrible dancer, even after years of Steve’s “lessons,” but Diane didn’t seem to mind.  They’d settled into some sort of weird off-beat swaying, but it looked like she couldn’t care less.  He appreciated it.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said after quite a long silence.  Jonathan frowned in confusion.  They were practically strangers.  They’d gotten along without any real problems when Steve had introduced them, but still.  “Steve was so happy you guys made it.  You really mean the world to him.”
Jonathan just nodded.  He knew he should probably reply, say something along the lines of “we’re happy we made it too,” but he couldn’t bring himself to.
“You look wonderful,” he said after a second.  That was something you said to a bride, right?  He expanded after a second.  “You two look wonderful together.”
She’d smiled at the compliment, and he went back to focusing on his steps.
The song ended and Jonathan lowered his arm from her waist, stepping back.  Steve and Nancy were still close together, talking sincerely as they looked at each other, but Nancy looked like she was smiling, and that was something.  Jonathan wasn’t about to break that up.  He looked back at Diane.
“I may get more wine, do you want any?”  He offered unsurely.
“I’d, um, better not, actually.” She emphasized the words awkwardly, looking at him hesitantly.  It took Jonathan a second to catch up.
“You’re…” He looked over at Steve, mouth open, before glancing back at the bride, who was blushing at this point.  “I didn’t know–”
“I haven’t told him yet,” she admitted quickly.  “I figured we should get through one thing at a time, you know?  I mean, I know he wants it and all but… it seems a bit fast, don’t you think?”
She was shaking her head, looking suddenly worried and Jonathan didn’t hesitate before reaching out and squeezing her hand.  He may be practically a stranger to this woman, but she had just entrusted him with something special, and he knew how much it meant. “Diane. He’s going to be ecstatic. You’re going to make him so, so happy.”
Diane broke out into a stunning smile and before Jonathan knew what was happening she embraced him tightly.  He hugged her back, a bit less enthusiastically, trying to stay happy.  This was what Steve had always wanted.  He was getting the life he deserved.
When they broke apart, Steve and Nancy were walking back to them.  They were both smiling, but there was a hint of sadness on both of their faces.  Jonathan wondered what they’d been talking about, but he knew he wouldn’t ask.  If Nancy wanted to tell him, she would.
Steve and Diane left to mingle after that, and Jonathan turned to Nancy.  He wordlessly held out a hand, and she took it, folding gracefully into his side as they began to sway to the music.  It wasn’t so bad, dancing.
“How are you doing?” Jonathan asked quietly, pressing his forehead against her hair.
Nancy took a shaky breath before responding.  “Better.  You?”
“Better,” he repeated back to her.  He pulled back and looked at her, unsurprised to see her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.  He knew he looked the same.
They shared a sad smile before glancing over to where Steve was talking with his parents, his arm looped around Diane’s waist.  
“He’s happy,” Jonathan commented, though it didn’t really need to be said.  Steve was radiating joy and love, and had been the entire night.  It hurt to look at, in a way, but his happiness had always been infectious, and Jonathan really couldn’t help but feel his heart swell at the sight.
“I know,” Nancy responded quietly.  They had stopped moving but didn’t let go of each other.  Jonathan couldn’t have let her go at that moment if he wanted to.  Nancy looked at him sadly.  “I’m happy for him.  I really am, and I know it’s selfish, but… I wanted him to be happy with us.  I wanted us to make him that happy.”
Her voice cracked slightly, and he frowned at her in thought.
He thought of all of the long car rides, the cramped beds, the bad signals on the motel televisions.  He thought of the hurried breakfasts, the bickering over directions, the ways they’d snap at each other after a long and difficult job only to fall into each other’s arms the next second.  He thought of the cuddling and the kissing, the laughing and the crying, the hugs that never seemed to end.  He thought about the ways they said I love you– whether shouted or whispered or scrawled on post-it-notes.
“Nancy, he was,” Jonathan replied.  “We did.”
They had been happy.  And they would be happy again.
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auburnfamilynews · 5 years
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Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Not a terrible way to start off the season...
The facts are firm, simple, and resolute. Auburn beat Oregon 27-21 last night behind the best comeback of the Gus Malzahn era. Texas A&M last year was pretty good, and the same guy scored the game-winning touchdowns in both instances, but this was special. With everything that had been going wrong for Auburn, and the circumstance in which true freshman Bo Nix willed the team to victory in the second half, this’ll be a game that we remember for a long, long time.
Here are some nuggets from around the internet in response to what happened last night:
Welp, I’ve had my first heart attack as an Auburn fan ‍♂️
— ⭐️Deshaun Davis⭐ (@_Davis_Boy12) September 1, 2019
I don’t feel bad for Deshaun, because he had a big hand in doing this to all of us regular Auburn fans for four years, and now he knows how it feels. How the turn tables, Deshaun.
Auburn HC Gus Malzahn on QB Bo Nix: "He's got some gunslinger in him, there's no doubt."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 1, 2019
We got to see the good and the bad from having a confident freshman in the game last night. Bo Nix made some great throws, including the ones on the last drive to give us the win, but he made some really poor ones as well. I hope that we can chalk most of that up to nerves, as he was playing in only, ya know, the biggest game of the weekend. Still, some of the misfires on open receivers and both interceptions were just overall poor throws or decisions.
He also had some trouble recognizing when to take off and run. Credit to him, he didn’t really get skittish, per se, but he kept his eyes downfield to a fault at times when he could’ve used legit 4.6 speed to gain a few yards. Oregon brought pressure constantly, and he had opportunities to bust through the initial blitz to find some open grass in the middle of the defense. Had he done that, the Ducks would’ve been forced to adjust on defense earlier.
Auburn WR Seth Williams on the Oregon corner covering him on the last-second touchdown pass. “He wasn’t ready for it. He thought he was in my head. He wasn’t. He was soft.”
— Sumner Martin (@SMartin_AU) September 1, 2019
This is just a brutal comment that the poor Oregon corner has no way to rebut. Williams made such a good play on the winning touchdown, and it had to feel good because the Ducks had done a really solid job on preventing him from getting the ball. He was bracketed a lot during the night, and Nix tried to force a ball to him a couple times. When Williams finally got open, he made the plays.
Auburn RB Boobee Whitlow on WR Seth Williams: “Woo, that boy is different... He does stuff that you can’t teach.” Later: “You can’t go wrong with Seth, man.”
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 1, 2019
I agree. I think Nix-to-Williams will likely become a common theme over the next two years.
That’s the ish I do like. https://t.co/G8JCHbyolR
— Whitley Kelley (@WhitleyVK) September 1, 2019
On the subject of Gus Malzahn making comebacks, there really haven’t been many. Auburn erased a big deficit to Texas A&M last season, and there have been games where they’d been down by multiple scores and won, but last night was the first time since the Kick Six that the Tigers scored a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of play.
Auburn QB Bo Nix: "That wouldn't have happened if the defense wouldn't have played out of their minds."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 1, 2019
And a huge reason why the offense was allowed to even do that was because the defense went 11-12 on stopping Oregon drives after the first quarter. They got the one third quarter touchdown, but Auburn allowed 176 yards in the first period, and just 156 in the three quarters after that. While it looked like we were getting gashed on the ground, Oregon didn’t hit 100 yards rushing.
Bo Nix's dad celebrating that game-clinching TD his son just threw is everything. So good. pic.twitter.com/a0LKLYDRp9
— Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) September 1, 2019
Personally, this choked me up a little. If you’ve ever talked to Patrick Nix, you know that there aren’t many people who love Auburn more than he does. As a lifelong Auburn fan, if my son grew up to play quarterback, engineered a game-winning drive in the final seconds in the biggest game of the day, I’d be beyond consolable with joy.
Auburn QB Bo Nix on what he saw on the 4th-and-3 scramble: "I saw a bunch of white jerseys."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 1, 2019
And it’s a credit to Pat Nix that Bo had the willpower to take his team to the win. He didn’t flinch when confronted by the moment, and when it mattered he made a play that a normal freshman wouldn’t make. On the fourth down late, Gus called a rollout for Nix with a little play-action fake, but nobody was open. Bo put his head down and flew through multiple defenders to get the first down by the nose of the football. Not a freshman type of play.
“That was my first ‘Bo to Seth’ moment.” @bo_nix10 on his game-winner to @8_sethwilliams in @AuburnFootball 27-21 win vs. Oregon, and the similarity to his dad’s shining moment: “Nix to Sanders.” pic.twitter.com/VjJWTM0Jeq
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) September 1, 2019
Then just seconds later, Bo mirrored his dad’s biggest play by completing an eerily-similar pass to a guy with the numbers 1 and 8 on his jersey. Picture comparison below.
First pic: Pat Nix to Frank Sanders, 1993. Second pic: Bo Nix to Seth Williams, 2019. Sports are crazy. pic.twitter.com/CrHvUS42af
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) September 1, 2019
It’s funny, and I mentioned it in the Snap Judgments article earlier today, but the final catch mirrored the touchdown in the 1993 Iron Bowl. The drive leading up to it mirrored Pat Nix’s efforts in the 1994 Florida game, which culminated in Nix to Sanders Pt. II. Having to convert the fourth down conversion and the sideline route to get us in position to score were remarkably close to what happened in Gainesville that day.
Auburn FS Jeremiah Dinson on DC Kevin Steele being on the sidelines tonight: “He was actually calm. That was weird.”
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 1, 2019
Like we mentioned above, the defense got punched in the mouth to start before settling in. Having Kevin Steele on the sideline instead of in the press box meant that adjustments could happen much sooner, and they did after the first quarter instead of at halftime. Again, Auburn’s defense was 11-12 in stopping the Ducks after going down 14-3 in the first quarter.
K.J. Britt is going to get some real NFL consideration if he continues to play like he did, and I’m really pumped about three years (or four, hopefully) of Owen Pappoe. Jeremiah Dinson had maybe the best game of his career last night, and Zakoby McClain, Big Kat Bryant, and Christian Tutt all had fantastic nights as well. I’m also really excited to see what happens with Tutt this year on punt return. I have a feeling he’ll house multiple kicks this season.
The catch. The flex. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/Js0jq17PUt
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) September 1, 2019
I know that Seth Williams had to be frustrated with the lack of production early on, but Oregon locked him down. Once he had a one-on-one opportunity, and when Nix made a throw to get it in his catch radius, he did the rest.
#Auburn WR Seth Williams on last play TD catch: “At first, I was like ‘Oh it’s just a touchdown.’ Then I heard the crowd and looked at the clock. ‘Oh I just won the game.’” pic.twitter.com/RBvahHc1Uy
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 1, 2019
Sometimes I wonder what’s it like to be a football player and not see the clock ticking down like the fans do on TV. You’re in the heat of the moment, able to let out your nerves by running and getting hit. When you finally let the emotion in and realize the gravity of what just happened, then it has to be an unreal feeling.
Auburn running back JaTarvious Whitlow: "Nobody wanted to lose to Oregon. We feel like that's a bad reputation on them. What are they, ACC? Pac-12? I didn't even know what they were. A Pac-12 team coming in and beating an SEC team, we can't take that." https://t.co/VlVzbhgQAF
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 1, 2019
I think we’ve learned by now that Boobee Whitlow is a quote machine. He’s also a guy that I would probably really dislike if he played for Alabama, Georgia, or LSU. He showed flashes of different running backs last night, like Kerryon’s patience, Tre Mason’s ability to push for the necessary yardage, and even some of the moves that Cadillac made famous. His rushing in the second half paced the offense and let Bo get on track in the passing game.
Cam Newton’s Instagram story reacting to the Auburn - Oregon game is the best thing I’ve seen all day. pic.twitter.com/adOqTjYjFe
— Blattman (@davidblattman) September 1, 2019
CaM nEwToN hAtEs AuBuRn He OnLy UsEd ThE sChOol To ReAcH tHe NfL
Auburn RB Boobee Whitlow on QB Bo Nix during the last drive: pic.twitter.com/RfY432JWr4
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 1, 2019
Again, Boobee quotes machine engage, but it shows how much Bo Nix didn’t let the moment get to him. He missed throws and put the ball in the wrong place against a good defense, but he didn’t get rattled. Huge for the true freshman, and now he’ll get a couple chances to grow in front of a friendly crowd at home.
https://t.co/fwH1bXHFAb
— Marquel Harrell (@QuelPhew77) September 1, 2019
They’re both half right here. We were getting whipped before halftime, but things really picked up after halftime. It’s the first time we hit 200 rushing yards against a ranked opponent since the 2017 Georgia game.
Am I crazy or is Gus getting better at dancing? pic.twitter.com/8eukKNv7qx
— E2C Network: Auburn Athletics Podcasts (@E2C_Network) September 1, 2019
This is what you get when Gus gets his swag back a little bit. He didn’t look like he was having a great time calling plays in the first half, but we saw things work out in the end. Maybe he knows that he’s got a quarterback that can help mitigate some things with the way he controls the game. Maybe.
Dear @ESPN @CollegeGameDay Crew- I'm awaiting your apology. #WarDamnEagle Sincerely, Bo Jackson https://t.co/q7iwVBWBR3
— Bo Jackson (@BoJackson) September 1, 2019
And finally here, Bo requests a polite public apology on Twitter. Charles Barkley would’ve stormed an ESPN set and destroyed things until Corso apologized for what he had done. I’m fine with both approaches.
from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/9/1/20843705/about-last-night-auburn-27-oregon-21
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flauntpage · 6 years
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Your Wednesday Morning Roundup
The Flyers went down three goals early, then scored five straight, just to give up three more goals in the third period to lose 6-5. How freaking lovely.
At least Nolan Patrick scored his first goal of his NHL career! But it doesn’t cancel out a stinging loss like this.
Anthony will have a recap of this game later this morning. It’s the fourth of the season, and Flyers Twitter has already reached the point of ending their existence on Earth because the Flyers blew a lead. Also, Dave Hakstol appears to not be a popular guy amongst the Flyers fan base.
The Roundup:
Check out the latest Crossing Broadcast, which discusses the Flyers loss, along with a handful of other topics.
The Sixers made it official Tuesday, keeping Joel Embiid until 2023.
Extending Embiid was definitely worth it, as Kevin Kinkead explains:
The process wasn’t created to get the Sixers into the playoffs, it was created to compile the assets necessary to compete for a championship.
Not extending Embiid would’ve been the most risk-averse decision an NBA team could’ve made. Where else are you putting that money? Are you overpaying for Tim Mozgov or Al Horford? There’s risk in chasing high-priced mercenaries, too. Everything comes with some degree of uncertainty.
But a healthy Embiid gets you closer to a championship, and if you’re not winning it all, you’re not winning shit. The 10-72 Sixers won the same amount of trophies as the 48-34 Hawks a few years back. Philadelphians who have experienced one championship parade since 1983 should be able to appreciate that.
His contract may be good for the Sixers as well:
For the Sixers to curb the ultimate value of the extension, it would take the triggering of several severe circumstances detailed in a 35-page-plus contract. Embiid’s unique career trajectory — missing his first two NBA seasons with successive foot surgeries and playing only 31 games in the 2016-17 season — created a pathway for Philadelphia general manager Bryan Colangelo; Embiid’s agent, Leon Rose of CAA Sports; and the National Basketball Players Association to work together on creating a complicated and creative contractual agreement. The dramatic impact of Embiid’s brief but dominant debut season left him as the only rookie since Wilt Chamberlain to average at least 28.7 points per 36 minutes played.
Here’s how a perfect storm of calamity would have to unfold for Embiid to earn any less than the full $146.5 million: Across each of the final four seasons of the extension, ending with the 2022-23 season, the 76ers could waive Embiid for a financial benefit if he’s lost because of a contractually agreed-upon injury that causes him to miss 25 or more regular-season games and if he plays less than 1,650 minutes, league sources said.
Specific injuries are laid out in the contract and include only past problem areas with Embiid’s feet and back, sources said. Embiid has to miss 25 or more regular-season games because of injuries in those areas, and play less than 1,650 minutes, for Philadelphia to have the option of releasing him for cost savings.
Kinkead also has a recap of Monday night’s loss to the Celtics.
So he’s signed, Ben Simmons looks great (for the most part), and…wait for it…a Sixers top draft pick is hurt! This time, it’s Markelle Fultz and his shoulder.
Fultz is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at Nassau Coliseum. Embiid is probable. Game tips off at 7:30 and is broadcast live on 97.5 The Fanatic.
The Eagles continue to get ready for Carolina tomorrow night. Lane Johnson will probably be out for the game with a concussion, leaving Halapoulivaati Vaitai at right tackle. Meanwhile, Fletcher Cox is still uncertain if he will play tomorrow night. He’ll decide on his game status later today:
Cox didn’t issue any declarations about playing on Thursday. Given that he just started practicing again after a two-week absence, and that the Eagles don’t play again after this until Monday, Oct. 23 against Washington, one would guess Cox and the medical staff would have to really be convinced he is 100 percent before letting him make the trip.
Cox wouldn’t say if he expected to fly with the Eagles to Charlotte Wednesday.
“It felt good out there today, just to get out to practice and move around a little bit. I haven’t been on the field in a couple of weeks,” he said. “I’m not a doctor, I’m not a trainer. Those guys have been doing a really good job of treating the injury and trying to get me ready to play a game.”
To prepare for Cam Newton, the Eagles used one of their practice squad wide receivers to mimic the dual-threat quarterback.
Sean has his Three and Out post, which includes the offense beginning to find their identity.
Doug Pederson has been making strides as a head coach in Year 2.
In a small roster move, the Eagles brought back defensive end Alex McCalister to their practice squad.
Skip Bayless: Still an idiot. Are you surprised?
Get a glimpse of what the media is saying about the Birds.
Besides the loss last night, the Flyers hired their new in-arena host. She likes EDM, and so do I. Good fit.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright is receiving this year’s John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” award.
Protesters rallied on Temple’s campus against the university’s plan for a proposed stadium on their campus.
In other sports news, the US soccer team embarrassed themselves and the entire country, losing to Trinidad and Tobago 2-1. They won’t be in the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986. ESPN’s Taylor Twellman went off and tore a new one on the entire United States Soccer Federation. As he should:
Here's the full Taylor Twellman rant: http://pic.twitter.com/3YOAQrTKmY
— Max Wildstein (@MaxWildstein) October 11, 2017
Panama won thanks to this phantom goal to help kick the USA out of World Cup contention:
Esa bola nunca entró ¡Árbitro vulgar! http://pic.twitter.com/9xyrrZIzWt
— TDMás (@tdmas_cr) October 11, 2017
I’ll chip in my two cents being a moderate soccer fan and follower of the game. My dad is a huge soccer fan and was heavily involved with my township’s soccer program when I was a kid. This sucks. I’ve always been excited to watch the World Cup and watch guys like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey go out and play against some of the world’s best. When I was a camp counselor after my senior year of high school, we ended early to watch the second half of the Germany-USA game. They lost, but ended up advancing to the knockout stage.
Development in the United States is still fractured. Blame this on Klinsmann, blame this on Bruce Arena, blame this on the players looking like absolute crap last night. But you also have to blame the system. US Soccer needs to get their act together. As Twellman mentioned, they need to get a plan together with MLS, USL, the NCAA even, and their youth development programs to create one system to help the sport grow nationally for international play.
We’re the best at American football, literally because we’re the only nation that has a full-time league (Canadian football is different). When we won bronze at the ’04 Summer Olympics in basketball, there was outrage over that and a overhaul. Doesn’t this country want to be the best in everything, with the attitude of “gold or nothing”? Why is this not there in soccer? The entire world plays this sport, and we can’t beat a small island team?
I hope this creates change for the better for the sport in this country.
Elsewhere, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo out to all 32 teams discussing the national anthem protests:
Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.
The Vegas Golden Knights held their home opener, which began with a moving tribute to the city after the victims of last week’s shooting.
Four games for 81 yards. That was Adrian Peterson’s career with the New Orleans Saints. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional draft pick.
A Florida man went to the hospital Sunday night after burning a Dallas Cowboys jersey:
At the hospital, deputies spoke with a couple who admitted they were watching the NFL game and agreed to burn the losing team’s jersey. However, the man decided to wear the jersey as it was burning.
A witness told Sebastian Daily, “He was set on fire after losing a bet on the Cowboys game … Skin was hanging off his arm and back.”
A labor union has filed a complaint against the Cowboys. They believe owner Jerry Jones was violating the National Labor Relations Act.
Philip thinks ESPN should have handled the Jemele Hill situation differently.
In the news, Eminem had some words to say about President Donald Trump:
The FULL verse that EVERYBODY is talking about! @eminem BODIED THIS! #HipHopAwards http://pic.twitter.com/zoS0wEwjQF
— BET (@BET) October 11, 2017
Drexel University placed one of their professors on administrative leave after tweeting his thoughts about the Las Vegas massacre.
North Korea hackers allegedly stole war plans from South Korea and the United States.
Britt McHenry and Joe Banner got into a Twitter war. Both had some good jabs about each other in there.
Your Wednesday Morning Roundup published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv
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“Worth It” by Hayden F.
I meandered around the green space semi-aimlessly, tossing a water bottle back and forth between my hands, surrounded by young to middle aged couples who knew me but not the other way around. Speakers blared classic rock and 80s hits of the sort that I could remember hearing during movies at some point but couldn’t name. Occasionally, I’d find one of my parents, laughing and talking with their friends, and insert myself into the conversation, ready for the usual question/answer progression.
“So, we hear your going off to college, Hayden.” Person would say amiably.
“That’s right. The University of Iowa,” I reply. 
The next question would be either, “Nice! So, what will you be studying?” or “Iowa. Interesting. Why there?” The answer was the same for both.
“I plan on studying creative writing and Iowa has one of the best English programs in the nation,” I respond in some form with the occasional mini-fist pump thrown in to imply positive emotion. The conversation would divulge from there. I might receive pointers for college life or congratulations on my graduation. Excuse, retreat, then rinse, and repeat.
So, what exactly are we doing here? Asked one side of my mind as I took another sip of Dasani flavored water. You’re supporting your dad. This is his going away picnic. It’s the right thing to do. Plus, they’ll have hot food. I walked over to a pavilion for no reason. It’s his fault we have to leave everyone behind. There were people here, standing in the shade. I decided to talk to them, cause why not? Come on. We’re used to this. Besides, we’re leaving for college anyway. Not much else to talk about. Oh look. Food’s ready. We could’ve stayed here over the summer, kept working at Chick-fil-a. Would’ve been great. Oh. Tin foil pans full of hot dogs. Yay. Now you’re being selfish. That would’ve been way too much trouble. Stop focusing on yourself so much.
Our family had a plan. A crazy, complicated, but nevertheless doable plan. Step 1: Have grandmother take younger siblings to Florida. Step 2: Pack up the whole house, and stay at the TLF (temporary living facility.) Step 3: Move out of the TLF and into the house of a neighboring family vacationing in France. Step 4: Separate into two groups. The first drives to Oklahoma with the cat and one dog, the second to Texas with the other dog. Step 5: Drop off pets and non-essential belongings in OK City with neighbors-to-be. Step 6: Drive to Florida to stay with Grandparents. Step 7: Enjoy ourselves for three weeks before the insanity resumes. Step 8: Fly back to Oklahoma. Step 9: Unpack belongings at new house. Step 10: Repack my belongings and move to college. Step 11: seek counseling. We’d made it to step 3 and I was already experiencing eye twitches and severe bookworm reclusiveness. I was asked to put the story of my life into a six-word memoir for a writing class once. Stay positive while everything changes…again.
Now, here I was, sitting alone at a plastic folding table on a plastic folding chair. Part of me really did want to be here, supporting my parents and all, but the other part longed to be back at the borrowed house playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or reading Game of Thrones, or doing anything besides conversing with people I would only know for about two hours. I had half a mind to leave after I ate the rest of my meat-tube sandwich and bag of salted air. Not even the food was worth it. Then I could maybe make my way through the Lost Woods, or find out whether Tyrion Lannister gets thrown out of the Erie. In the end, I decided to stay and listen to the farewell speeches before retreating to my favorite fantasy worlds. One by one, each of the various leading officers of the base and other dignitaries from the city of Albuquerque came forward and thanked my father and mother for all they did for the base. They were presented presents ranging from plaques to wine bottles, with a decanter set and a machete thrown in. They thanked my mother for her tireless work with the Kirtland Spouses’ Club, providing a welcoming group of fellow military families. She was described as the fulcrum that helps my father balance mission and family. My father had been the instillation commander of Kirtland for two years. He was essentially the mayor of the base. The people who thanked him gave him glowing praise. He led the base team to achieve new heights, he dramatically improved relations with the surrounding city, and he became a great friend to all of them. They even thanked me a couple times, for sticking with my parents through the moves and supporting them. After the farewells were finished, my dad stood back up to give a closing speech. He took nearly all the credit off himself and gave it back to the audience. Each leader and team member, received thanks and praise for their hard work forwarding the mission. He stated that his military career used to be about him back when he was an aspiring leader in Washington D.C. But that changed on September 11th when an airplane was flown into the Pentagon, 100 yards from where he was working. From then on, it wasn’t about him, it was about serving his country, and supporting those who serve with him. That’s why we moved every two years. That’s why I grew up surrounded by bombers and jets. That’s the reason I have a home even if it changes. He kept on serving. My eyes started to sting, then tear up. Then one of the sprinklers exploded. Someone stepped on the black nozzle and the park suddenly had a brand new, two-foot-tall, gushing water feature on the hill where the sound system was set up. After the electronics were rescued (a little late unfortunately), and the water flow somewhat tamed, I opted to carry my parent’s gifts back to our temporary house. As I made the two trips, I began thinking again. Well, looks like that’s the start of my pandemonium summer. But, you know what? It’s worth it. If my dad can lead a base for two years and somehow come out on top, why shouldn’t I be able to make it through a double move?
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succulentsstars · 7 years
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Addressing the May Wedding being real
I've been thinking about this for a while and it makes a ton of sense actually! They also got a third place together around the same time. And Phil's parents and family was there as well as the majority of their YouTube friends bc playlist. The only thing though is Dans family, bc though Ik he isn't as close, I can't really see him having a wedding without at least his parents (unless somehow they got a sneaky flight... hmm) and another thing is- the Phandom is literally the FBI- so if they did get married, idek how they would keep it under wraps. (Another theory I had addressing that however is Singapore. No ditl, little activity other than posting pre-made videos and literally the most couple-y photos I've seen. Perhaps they did this to keep away from speculation?) Like they would literally have to keep EVERYONE there from taking/posting info or pictures (you may think that would only have to do the big names but ive even seen small accounts without practically any known relation to D+P called out. (There's one particular instance- I can't remember the exact context I found it in- but this one woman's Instagram had the exact blow up dinosaur they had standing in front of a tv that literally looked exactly like theirs, and the thing is, she had less than 1k followers from what I remember so idek how the Phandom found that)) and it's just depending on how many people they invite that would be HARD! Because it's so easy for someone to accidentally let slip something to someone who might not be able to trust with the info. Also- even D+P can't be trusted to keep it all to themselves. There are a few instances in liveshows where I bet you could think they were hinting about it- but you would think that if it happened they would've done it more. Weddings are a TON to plan bc many people consider them to be the biggest day of your life. And though Dan has often referred to Phil as "mr marriage-is-just-a-piece-of-paper" by the amount Phil has talked about raising a family in the future, I highly doubt that he is against marriage- just he and Dan have had disagreements in the past about it's true significance in the path of life (bc- he has a point. If you already are in a steady, sexual (if you want that), loving relationship with someone- marriage really is only a legal take on that.) And I just personally can't really see D+P having a very very small wedding and I have a hard time seeing them eloping. (That's why I struggle with the whole Japan theory from 2015. I mean- it makes a WHOLE bunch of sense! They were there for like two weeks and didn't post a whole lot when they were there (don't quote me on this part, though- I didn't join the Phandom till 2016) and another point I've heard is how much Japanese merch they've made. I mean- though they've said to have liked anime, they didn't really REALLY start talking about it till around 2014-2016 and they made merch after that ONE Japan trip. Looking at it from a distance- it doesn't make too much sense. Yes, they've talked about wanting to go and having a really great time, but they were only there for two weeks, and to our knowledge didn't do anything really noteworthy other than the ditl. And they've gone on MANY other trips together, why the big deal around Japan.... it almost as if...something important happened there... *x files theme plays* even today- they're still making merch about it!!! Ok sorry, I got a bit off topic- but so what I was saying before is that I have a hard time with that theory. So, even though Dan and Phil live alone and don't really get other people sometimes- they're not (really) hermits. They have many friends who they love and who love them back just as much as well as parents who have done a whole lot of support throughout their career- and they appreciate that! I just have a hard time seeing them getting married in a place they've never been before surrounded by strangers. Though it definitely could've happened, it just doesn't feel very... 'Dan and Phil' to me.) ok so back to main point- I just think that it wouldve been difficult for Dan and Phil to keep their own wedding completely under wraps. When I think of Dan and Phil getting married- I think of fireworks and dancing and happiness, not hiding away from the world (though they have done that in the past- we are living in a post-baking universe now and I don't think that Dan and Phil would ever want to hide that much from us- even though we can be real pains sometimes they love us all the same.) idk- it's not like I know them TRULY personally- they could want to hide. If they had told us about this hypothetical wedding in Florida- the Phandom would literally go insane. I bet it would only be a few days before their venue was found and spread across the internet and something they might've wanted to be personal and with just them suddenly is surrounded by thousands strangers- who may know and love them but are still strangers. It's just Dan and Phil had/are (possibly going to have a hard time having any sort of wedding considering their situation. Their story is definitely a unique one- and if the speculation about a relationship was true from 2009- on, it becomes so much more deep and complicated. If anyone would ever take me up on the offer- in many years I would really like to make some sort of doc/movie about them and their relationship (only with their permission, of course!) Dan and Phil are two extremely interesting people who have told a story laced with secrets, doubt, and lies. And though they have slipped up a few times (I doubt I need to elaborate there) they are still walking down that path. Whether or not they're in a relationship or perhaps once were- they still left a ton not filled in. And I will forever wait for the day for them to piece everything together. It may never come, though. It is their lives and their business and their decisions if they want to share the details of their personal relationship with the world. They might not have realised that weight when they were two teens flirting with each other through the internet- either thinking their conversations would go unnoticed or uncared for by anyone but each other. But they definitely realise it now. Dan and Phil are unlike any pair of people that I've ever heard of (of course there's people LIKE them out there, but not without all the fame and fans- which play a huge part in their relationship) Who's to say what they would be doing right now if they never gained the amount of fame that they had today. Maybe they would've moved apart in 2011, or maybe they would be married with kids. Who's to say where they'll be once the Phandom starts to die and they lose the media's attention? In my opinion- it may happen soon (it could already be happening) but it could also not happen for many years. But it will happen at some point. What will they do then? Will they have enough money to continue what they do or will they have to go into something else? Will they stay together? Will they come out and start a family? Only time will tell.
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#61 12:59am May 14
I will update when it's a good time to do so. As of now, I will simply post my update on all my friends in which who I can recall and will do what I can to do it right. Here we go~ (List will be in random order) -Mom- We're doing pretty good, nothing BAD exactly, she does annoy me from time to time with her demands such as cleaning up my room when it's going to be a huge mess anyway. Since awhile ago, she wants to get a grill from the money of my dad and I, hah... I don't hate her, I mean, we all have flaws and that's okay. She's going to go celebrate Mother's Day with her friends, including ''Konni'' (I don't know how to spell her name, but she's the aged woman who introduced me to sushi and I feel in love with it from the start.) But yeah, there's that. -Dad- We're always on good terms, never have we once been at odds with each other, he'll be coming down here soon for my graduation. I hope I'm able to spend more time with him as I aim to go on my own sometimes eventually. Not saying I won’t have contact with them, just being out of their influence would be nice. He's still up working on roofs and such, great worker he is. We continue to call each other every day, it has been a thing since I was little as my parents divorced when I was young and we all lived in Miami at the time. If only he lived closer so I could visit him, I would if I could. -Dj A.K.A. Jacob- Since the last time my mom and I went out to a nearby sushi restaurant, Dj and I have been talking again now. Which is wonderful as I still recall weekends where I literally had no one to game with, so yeah. We're still on good connections, we chatted last night as he and our friend (I’ll call him Party as it's part of his gamertag, new guy to me on Xbox) were playing Overwatch. Anyway, yeah, he's doing pretty good over there, I haven't heard him complain about anything of his life, yet. We all get there from time to time. I look forward into talking more, not to sound clingy, we just go way back into the days of Reach. -Seeker A.K.A. Jared- Ah, I miss the dude. Favorite catholic friend, not that religion matters, anyway, I haven't spoken to him since ages ago. I asked Dj on what has been going on with him and he told me he's still busy with work and such, but he's still going well. I wonder how he has been doing though, I miss him. We go way back as well, to Reach. Maybe sooner or later I'll get in reach with him, although he is busy very often from what I can recall and he has his own group of ''goons'', it's worth a nice try. What can go wrong? -Erin A.K.A. Goodbye Delilah- Quick clarification, long ago Erin told me she changed her name to Lilah, but everyone still called her Erin so I'm left to guess it was a ''phase'' of a name in a way. So, I no longer have any connections with her anymore. I texted her and she was insane again. She made accusations that weren't true, saying things such as I left her for cancer and I never loved her, so on so on. I took screenshots of what she was saying to me, notifying her that I was doing so as snapchat does that, she went on saying go for what I desire, don't bitch about it and telling me I shared shit for attention, mostly what she said from the pictures of what I took. Then she removed me right after, so poof! She is now gone. Honestly, I'm not disturbed or shocked, not at ease either. Yet, I am a bit relieved I don’t have to deal with her anymore. -Jessica A.K.A. School Buddy- Jessica and I are still talking to each other, even though we don't chat at all outside of class, we still manage to kill time together in class like this past week watching unique videos on YouTube in which are too complex to be explained for the simple minded. ''The pipe is leaking''. She now has a girlfriend too, can't be on school property and she's a dropout too. Dropping out doesn’t matter to me, but I never would have guessed Jessica would date the girl from what I have seen of her. She works at Walmart, I think, eh, whatever makes her happy. -Gabby A.K.A. Goth girl from South Carolina (Or somewhere near there)- Yeah, uh, we simply stopped talking to me as she went off on me saying I was a bad person and I made fun of her for a condition she has, I honestly don’t recall that. She also said I talk about others too much and that she doesn’t need more ''half assed friends'' to be around her. I can't say much about it, I'm not here to please everyone. Although she sees my snapchat story from time to time and I still have her on Instagram, I have nothing against her at all. I know I have flaws. I hope she's doing alright whatever she is up to. -Molly A.K.A. Mollyboo- We haven't formally spoken to each other in a too long of a time. Although we have a streak going on, that also recently died so we're back to square one, her and I don't chat as we used to. From moments passing by me, I feel like I was a cushion for her. I'm not saying she's a bad person, no she's not. All I'm saying is that things haven’t been the same for us. Which is a shame because I enjoyed skyping her when I didn’t have anyone else around. Molly has been with her friends more often recently, her life isn't perfect obviously, as everyone, she is struggling with a few things, but I believe in her where I feel she can get through it all. Uncertain if we'll even meet up during the summer, but that's okay, I just want the best for her. -Alyssa A.K.A. Ex Gothic Succubus-I'm afraid to declare that her presence has gone missing from my life awhile after my birthday. She's been going through a lot, with the possible pending deaths of her relatives, she has been occupied. I do not know what she's facing up to right now, but for sure I wish her the best. I'm not afraid to admit that I miss her, just ashamed on the way our relationship ended. Time will tell if she returns or not, she always does this from time to time being busy and such. I'm not blaming her disappearance on her, we're not even dating anymore so why should I expect her to come back instantly? Anyway, can’t say much about her since she's away at the moment. I sent her voice messages from time to time, maybe she'll hear them one day. I hope so, I have countless voice messages of her on my phone. -Rose A.K.A. One Year Crush- The impact of her thorns hasn’t healed at all. Ah, oh well, she's still dating that one nice looking guy. They went to prom together and they looked like a cute couple. Even though she said it could’ve been better, she still enjoyed it. I miss her. Of course, she's dealing problems from within herself and her family from what I have been seeing. It hurts to watch and if I could look away I wouldn’t as I care for her. Uncertain if we'll meet up for the summer to be honest, she hasn't texted me since my birthday. I still leave her voice messages from time to time, never expecting a reply back. Some say move on, some say hang on, I say woebegone. Since Reach we go back too, I don't want to loose what's part of my world. After all, more and more of it is becoming a memory rather than reality. -Angel A.K.A. Tall Mexican- Another surprise, we haven't talked at all. He's been focusing on work and with his girlfriend which is great and all, just wish we would hang out more. He still lives here, he still posts stuff that I see and he's more than alive surely. Joyful he's not, but he's getting somewhere, good guy he is. -Nara A.K.A. Gone Girl- Ever since the last time we met, we haven't texted. I know of recent she posted a pic with her boyfriend, so they're dating. I’m not jealous, only upset that she suddenly disappeared from my life like I was some paper airplane that was around only to be thrown away from her. Ah, oh well. No idea what she is up to. -Jaden A.K.A. Suicide Girl- Jaden and I are talking, but only in school. In no way do I desire to talk to her out of school and we haven't. Classless I am on her talking to me again in chorus when she hasn't before, wouldn’t even make eye contact. She mainly talks to this girl ''Ericca'' (Don’t know the spelling of her name) who has a ton of problems, but we all do so I won’t complain about that. There's that. -Grace A.K.A. Edgy Misguided Wiccan- Not much to say about her besides her unreasonable ways of living and her choice of people she surrounds herself with like having a best friend that's 13 doing drugs and dating a guy who snorted Doritos for a dare. Makes me wonder why I'm picked over these people, ugh. She has her hair black since recent. I was invited to a group chat just this week by her and I was kicked out ''yesterday'' because I disliked a band, I got upset and told her I won’t be coming back. Argh, whatever. I'll be gone soon. -Abby A.K.A. Switching Genders Friend- Ill use she to make it easy. Anyway, her and I have been okay. Not much talking between us, most memorable conversation between us as of this year was us arguing about her flying to live with her boyfriend who lives in Texas. Again, not a bad person. She desperately wants to leave Florida, I feel her. She's going to graduate soon as I am, which is nice. Tried texting her a few hours ago, she didn't feel like talking, I hope she's okay. -Andy A.K.A. I'm Not In Lesbians With You- Andy and I have come down to simply meeting up for a minute or two together walking to her bus and saying good bye with a quick hug. She's still cute and all, but it's not meant to be. Not saying that I desperately wanted to be with her, but at a time where Rose was all I could hold in my mind, I thought she would be the water to wash it away and have her take the place. Im completely aware this isn’t how love works, duh in a way. Besides, our lives are completely different. Anyway, she's out all the time with friends or family, or talking about Attack on Titan saying how Armin is her cush. So, yeah. There's that. -Siena A.K.A. Celebrity Spirit of Miami- Girl from Omegle that lives in Miami. Her and I dont chat as much as I wish, but that's fine. She usually says she's busy with life and ''a lot has been going on'', from what I know she gets called a whore a ton and I don't see her like that as all. Odd to think of it. She is attractive, yeah, but I don't really know much about her despite us knowing each other for a good amount of months. She's great at singing and practices plays, I hope all goes well for her. She deserves it even with her flaws. -Kaylee A.K.A. No Personality Girl- Nothing to say besides her always posting pictures of herself barely smiling or posting pictures of her pets. I would talk to her, but I never feel like she wants to talk to due to her responses. Also, not a bad person, just not a good connection between her and I. I mentioned her long ago as I wrote an entry saying I don’t mean everything literally, some is ranting some is ''blah blah'', I recall she couldn’t let that go because of it. I know I’m not important to her, oh well. -Kayla A.K.A. I Always Wear My Boyfriend's Graduation Ring- Kayla is in the hospital from what I know. She got a kidney stone, if I can remember correctly since it is so late I’m just passing my thoughts onto the screen. Before that, she went to a concert that was very far away and not in Florida, she managed to be with her boyfriend at the time. This was going around when prom was. She got sunburned. I helped her out with our homework for sociology but she didn’t come to day she was said to. I will say I feel like I irritate her sometimes, but maybe that's just me. -Marielle A.K.A. Guatemala Fire- We've been talking a lot for many months, well, this year so far. She recently got grounded by her ungrateful mother. She's not happy to be in Guatemala and wishes to get out of there. She's a sweet girl, smart too, she's learning how to code and working in an office. She's not there everyday and we're not able to skype, but I consider her close to me. So yeah. -Daphine A.K.A. Cloud Exhaler- So long gone that she might as well be out of this universe ever since she got a boyfriend. No clue what's going on with her. It seems the cycle of our friendship ended as she would tend to come back and be distant over and over. She has had a rough past and I can only hope it gets smoother as time erodes life. -Rayanna A.K.A. College Life- She's doing fine, her life has been lightened up by her boyfriend. Gosh, if only I could be that happy. Whenever I text her, she never fails to mention she's doing something in relation to him like being there with him or waiting for him to come over. Sweet relationship from my point of view. -Victoria A.K.A. Nordic Artist- Havent chatted in ages, taken away by her perfect boyfriend. Tried texting her long ago, she seemed very uninterested. I don’t mind, she seems happier and that's great compared to her past.   -Stori A.K.A. G's Girl- Again... Long time no chat, seen her talking with G, Skitz and another guy in parties sometimes over Xbox. Which is a shame since Dj and I never get invited to them. Ah... Sucks, but so be it. G has taken up all the space for everyone else and Stori can go on for months not talking to someone so I guess she thinks Im fine or something. I'm only irritated a bit about it, she has a nice character, one of the most innocent people I know, intelligent too. She's not clueless, she just doesn’t act in a certain way which makes her seem classy, I guess. I’m so tired. -Sheyla A.K.A. Miserable Medical Girl- She's in college going into the medical field. We don’t talk at all, only once but that was ages ago. She seems to be doing well, I have her sister in my sociology class, Sheyla is a lot better compared to her, the sister is awfully annoying. -Jenna A.K.A. Las Vegas's Light- Jenna and I have been texting throughout the day, very enjoyable person to talk to. She's been to many ''cons'' and she's sweet. She's very busy often which sucks, but that's life. We tried staying up Friday, but she fell asleep pretty soon. She had to do a lot today and tomorrow or whatever day this weekend. She works at this place for old people, taking care of them and such.
I would definitely name more, but I am too exchanged to go on. Maybe I’ll add on more soon, as of now, good night.
- 2:54Am
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This is my first post ever on Reddit, so I'm not even sure if I'm in the right sub. Apologies if I'm not. What I would like is to have you all just give me your thoughts on the following situation and explain why. I ask you all this, because I pretty much know what each of my friends would say and I want a fresh set of thinkers.The story: I'm a 22 year recent college graduate, and one of my friends I made in college asked me to be his groomsmen for his wedding this past Saturday. My friend's wife is also a friend of mine as well. Around Christmas she posted on snapchat of a really attractive girl she was with that was her cousin. And feeling braver than normal I texted her and said "Drago (groom's nickname) and you always talk about how I should find me a good girl. And here you are with your gorgeous cousin. What's up with that?" She responded back and said that she actually thought we would get along great, but that she lived in Florida. I just responded with "well I tried lol." Continue on with life doing the typical college struggle of grades and etc. Well the wedding starts getting close and Drago mentions that I would be happy to see who my bridesmaid was. I told him to not worry about any of that, to just focus on the wedding and I would be fine with whoever I walked out with, again didn't think anything of it.About two days before the wedding rolls around he says "You want to see who you're paired up with? I think you'll like her." And of course it's the brides cousin that I said was attractive. I was happy it was her, but I have never met her and again it's just someone you're walking 20 steps with. Rehearsal day rolls around and I immediately see her and I'm like "Wow, she's really pretty." While everyone in the rehearsal was standing around talking, I thanked Drago for pairing me with her and that she was stunning. The rehearsal starts and I keep finding myself staring at her, I wasn't trying to but I just noticed I was staring way more than you should. Obviously, in my head I'm thinking she's going to think you're a creep. We go and practice entering and exiting the ceremony and we small talk and etc.The rehearsal dinner starts and we arrive at roughly the same time and again small talk ensues and we talk for a bit and I tried to make a few jokes and she laughed, but I didn't wanna make her feel like I was suffocating her so I intentionally went and talked to other people at the wedding. The dinner itself starts and we sit at a 12 person table and I sat down and noticed she sat down directly across from me, she actually asked her sister to trade places with her. So I was happy about that, and that's when we had an actual conversation and we had some overlapping interests. I discovered she was extremely sarcastic like me, so that made our jokes fun. Of course, she is pretty and another groomsmen Drago's brother actually tried actively making conversation with her. At first I was a little jealous, but then I said "hey this ain't about you. And you just met both of them they may already know each other somehow." This goes on for about 2 hours with me and her talking to each other the majority of the time. Then I started getting a little self conscious that I might be smothering her, so I talked to other people at the table.At the conclusion of dinner, I went up to Drago and the bride and they asked how it went and I said I thought it went well, but I couldn't tell if she liked me or was being nice. I said goodbye and proceeded to go celebrate graduation at the bar with a few of my buddies. The bride texted me and sent me her number and said here's her number if y'all wanna text and I asked if she said anything about me and said that she wouldn't mind "taking her cute groomsmen home." I said okay and said I just didn't want to text her and look dumb for texting her. I texted the wrong number because I was shit faced and so never got a reply back.Wedding day roles around and we get there talk some but she's talking to her family and she seems to be talking to Drago's brother quiet a bit. So I just say well it was fun while it lasted and go through the wedding and head to the reception party which is at her family's house and we talk some then everyone starts dancing and we're the only ones not dancing we're just standing there propped up talking. And we legitimately talk that's when it gets good. And we flirt a little back and forth. So I finally ask her "Do you like playing hard to get or are you trying to gently say get lost." And she gave a witty line that wasn't a yes or no. Finally things started to wine down and there's an after party for all the young people once the older people leave. But at this point I was like I'm gonna go out with another buddy of mine before he moves back home several states away. So I say my goodbyes to her and go to the newly weds and say bye. And they both said they were sorry for it not going well. Of course I told them it wasn't a big deal, because it wasn't. I then drove home changed and was about to go celebrate with my buddy when the bridesmaid called me. And said that she had changed her mind she was going to the after party and that I better be there. Then I heard Drago in the back ground say I better go, so I went. Party is going good I'm letting her do her thing, me do mine.Then we start talking and take a few shots, continue talking. Then two friends come up and ask me to help bring a wedding gift into the house so she follows me outside. My two friends were able to get the gift themselves and didn't need my help. And we were outside alone. And she turns to me and says "do you want to kiss me or not." We kiss for awhile, and then go to the bathroom to wipe off the lip stick on my face. Which again leads to a heavy kissing session. At this point I was like well it's been a good night, but it's not something I haven't experienced.What I haven't experienced was instead of going to a bedroom or our separate ways we kept talking, at the party. I went outside to call my buddy and tell him I wasn't coming to the bars, and she came outside and we struck a deep conversation, from me saying she liked playing hard to get and her saying I struck her as a womanizer. She said a lot of things about life that I agreed with myself especially as far as dating and etc goes. At which point I remember thinking to myself how I would really like for my wife to be like her. Then she informed me that she had been seeing a guy for a few months back in the city she lives in, but she was about to break it off with him because she didn't really feel a connection with him. And she said that she understood if I was mad at her. I wasn't mad, but I was definitely sad that someone else was seeing her. And I gave her some suggestions, about that and told her I'd been there. Then I excused myself to the restroom. I come back and talk to her and everyone else. It's about 2:30 at this point.I had done a lot of thinking about what she had told me and decided on my course of action. I told her I was leaving the party said my goodbyes to everyone. And I asked her if she'd follow me to my car and she seemed hesitant at first. But she did and we kind of went over some of the same things we talked about. And I said "Well, I'm not mad at you for seeing some guy, you just met me, but I'm a little sad. So I think you're having doubts about your guy, and for whatever reason I really like you a lot. So just as someone whose been there, I think you need to think about what you want. And think if you're being fair to you and to him, if you're still not sure, keep with him it may grow into something. If you figure that you still don't want him then you can reach out to me if you feel something with me after two days of knowing me (I made a joke slightly out of it). But I'm not gonna text you because I don't want to come in between you and him and I want to respect that. And you don't have to text me if you decide it's not worth it with me. You don't owe me anything. " She thanked me for that and said I seemed wiser than her for us to both to be 22yrs old. And said i was a genuine guy, and she thought I was attractive. She just needed sometime to get her shit together. And that it could be a few weeks before she texted me letting me know. I thought that was the end of it, I started to turn to get in my car and she got In front of me and we had one last heavy session of kissing then said good bye.Background: I have never been a guy to be love struck, I am always very logical and rational in understanding how fragile relationships are and have never been someone to get caught up in a moment. I've dated girls and I've even really been fortunate to date some incredible girls that just didn't work out, it's just not meant to be. About a year and a half ago though I dated a girl that I really cared for, and still do in a friendly way. I could've seen myself wanting to really make a go at it, but between her getting her dream E.R. Nursing job and her ex begging for her back, who was near the hospital she works at it just wasn't going to work. That one was rough but it's part of life. Once I started playing the field again, I realized that most girls my age don't want relationships but more flings. Which was fine with me. I was in college and i might as well experience it while I still could. This past 6 months though, I got really tired of one night stands and etc. And took a break to think about what I really wanted. And I decided that I really wanted to find another meaningful relationship and really pursue getting to know someone and seeing if it led to marriage. Before you say the cliché of you're young, and don't worry about it. I know what I want and this is it.Questions for your opinion: 1. Again, I've prided myself on not being an emotionally driven person. Which is why I'm having a hard time trying to decide what to do and make sense of how after two days of knowing this girl I had the thought of her being the "one". And how I struggle with getting my mind off of her in less I'm working or exercising. What are your thoughts.Should I text her?Did I totally misread her answers and was she just trying to let me down easy?Sorry this is so long but I tried to include any relevant information to give you all a good feel for the situation. I also apologize for my grammar, I'm on my phone with a cracked screen and I've spent 4 hours typing, and I also just suck at grammar. via /r/dating_advice
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auburnfamilynews · 7 years
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Fans outside the stadium, the official Jordan-Hare time is...
Heading into the national title game in 2013, I remember one pundit saying that we’d beat Florida State and repeat the next season as national champions. In the end, we did neither, but it didn’t change the fact that 2014 was a season in which I (along with many other Auburn fans) believed the Tigers were the best team in the country at a certain point until everything fell apart.
3 Years Ago - 2014
Auburn came into the season ranked 6th in Gus Malzahn’s second campaign. We’d lost the national championship, but that was supposed to make us hungrier, right? Through the first several games, it certainly seemed that way. We lost Carl Lawson to an injury in the offseason, but other than that, we were flying high and ready to dominate again.
The year began with Brent Musberger on the mic for the SEC Network’s opening game at home against Arkansas. It was the rare conference game to begin the season, and after Gus had clowned Bret Bielema in Fayetteville the year before, the Hogs were hell-bent on revenge.
There were many people who thought they may have a chance to get it as well, since Nick Marshall was suspended for the first half after an arrest over the offseason. In stepped Jeremy Johnson for his first real game action. He’d played in nearly two full games in 2013, showed off his arm and his poise in the pocket, and we were sure he was the quarterback of the future.
We KNEW he was the quarterback of the future after watching him against Arkansas.
Seriously, he went 12-16 for 243 yards and two touchdowns in one half against a SEC defense. That’s good. No matter what the opponent, that’s stellar. We were all lit.
The defense was not as lit, giving up some late points in the second quarter and we were all tied up 21-21 at halftime, but the offense under Nick Marshall steadily kept going in the second half while the defense clamped down. Auburn won 45-21. That was pretty alright for everyone. It didn’t stop ESPN from claiming that we’d squeaked by in a 24-point win later that day.
Still, we were 1-0 with a conference win under our belts. It was 2-0 once San Jose State came and went with a 59-13 beating in the second game of the year. What stood in our way next was nothing less than a Thursday night trip to Manhattan, Kansas to tangle with the purple wizard in his own house.
Auburn visited Kansas State and the first cracks of the season began to show. The Tigers won 20-14, but needed a late conversion to seal the deal, and ran for just 128 yards on 45 carries. The Wildcats had found a way, somehow, to slow down this offense. No matter, we felt good after a road win against Bill Snyder. Duke Williams had started to really show off as the complementary receiver to Sammie Coates, and we saw that once one portion of the offense struggled, another facet could pick up the slack. We were 3-0, headed back home.
In the next game, Auburn pretty much sleepwalked through a victory over Louisiana Tech 45-17, where we saw Quan “War Eagle, Baby” Bray show off with three touchdowns, including one on a long punt return. It was a win, but I remember watching and not feeling great about the team.
At 4-0, Auburn sat 5th in the country with an upcoming matchup with LSU on the horizon. This was shaping up to be a huge game in Jordan-Hare as the 15th ranked Bayou Bengals came in with star freshman Leonard Fournette in the backfield.
It didn’t go well. For LSU.
CJ Uzomah’s Lutzie touchdown dance and Nick Marshall’s Newton-esque run just before halftime put the finishing touches on the visiting Tigers with more than two quarters to play. LSU couldn’t move the ball, and everything worked right for Auburn. All told, and along with the win over Arkansas last year, it was one of the most complete wins I’ve ever seen over a competent conference foe.
Let’s not forget that just before we kicked off on the Plains, Alabama lost to Ole Miss in Oxford, and the ensuing chaos jolted Auburn up to 2nd in the country.
Then we went to Starkville.
All of a sudden, Mississippi State had become good. Like really good! Dak Prescott was leading a team that had also ruined LSU (in Baton Rouge nonetheless), and their defense was playing very physical football like it was 1998. In a game that nobody pointed to when the season began, we somehow ended up with a 2 vs 3 matchup in Starkville. With the cowbells ringing at full force, the Bulldogs took advantage.
Auburn fumbled on its first offensive snap, and MSU scored three straight touchdowns to take a 21-0 first quarter lead. The Tigers hit thirteen straight points to cut the lead down to eight, but MSU scored again just before halftime.
Out of the locker room, the Tigers were able to pull within 28-20, and looked like things were turning around, but a costly offensive pass interference penalty on Sammie Coates negated what would’ve been a nearly field-length completion. It was a game-changing call, totally costing Auburn momentum.
They never recovered, allowing some late points to the Bulldogs and fell 38-23. After I believed we had the best team in the country after rocking LSU, I’d just watch a team commit mistake after mistake in losing to Dan Mullen.
MSU leapt into the top spot in the polls, but they wouldn’t stay there.
As for Auburn, the ranking barely suffered. The Tigers fell back to 5th in time for South Carolina to come visit the Plains. Steve Spurrier tried his damnedest, but going for it on six fourth down plays wasn’t enough as Auburn won 42-35 in a game that showed the offense get back into sync. Auburn ran for nearly 400 yards on the game, showcased the running skills of Ricardo Louis along with Cameron Artis-Payne, and answered every jab that the Gamecocks threw at them.
Things were still in Auburn’s court for the first ever college football playoff, as the Tigers were in according to the rankings that came out shortly after that game. Mississippi State was in as well, along with Ole Miss. The state of Mississippi orchestrated a peasant revolt in the SEC that year, and Auburn got to visit both Starkville and Oxford.
Auburn played Ole Miss on Halloween weekend, and participated in one of the hardest-hitting games of the season. The Rebels were pumped up with Dr. Bo Wallace looking for revenge from the loss in 2013. They played well, too, and nearly had the victory.
For Auburn, it was yet another game with an offense that hummed, as they rolled over 500 yards again, but the defense looked lost and Ole Miss scored late to take the lead — or they would have if not for one of the more gruesome injuries we’ve seen lately. Laquon Treadwell abused the Tiger defense that night, and he nearly had the game-winning score, but his ankle snapped just prior to crossing the goal line, he fumbled the ball, Auburn recovered, and won the game. 35-31. It was a costly win, due to the emotional nature of it, but we’d take it.
Auburn hadn’t played all that well — 13 penalties were accrued that night for 145 yards, and the defense had so many issues, but we were ranked third in the country so we chose to ignore it.
We’d pay for it the next week. After having beaten Texas A&M in 2013, they lost a lot. Manziel, Evans, gone. They weren’t even playing well. Alabama had just beaten them 59-0, and they’d beaten Louisiana-Monroe just 21-16 before heading to Auburn. It should’ve been a breeze.
As the Aggies returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown to end the first half and take a 35-17 lead, I knew our season was sunk. That was it. This could look like 2012 again if they wanted.
But the Auburn defense stood tall in the second half. They allowed just six points as the offense finally clicked. Nick Marshall led three touchdown drives, and Auburn trailed just 41-38 late in the fourth. A&M’s defense was extra tired, to boot. They couldn’t stop anything, and the Tigers moved right down the field.
They reached the goal line, and fumbled. Artis-Payne appeared to recover it on the replay, and but the ball was given to A&M. No matter, they went three and out. Auburn got the ball back and began moving again. Then came the butt fumble. Reese Dismukes snapped the ball before Marshall called for it, and A&M recovered. There was no time left and they won. Goodbye, playoff hopes. Goodbye, SEC West.
Auburn again could blame a number of things for losing that game. The offense rolled up nearly 600 yards, but had a huge hole to climb out of in the first half. The turnovers were obviously costly. In each of the losses it seemed like something different came to light, and the poor defense was a constant house guest.
Totally drained, Auburn laid a giant egg in Athens the next week. They took a 7-0 lead and failed to score again, falling 34-7 to Hutson Mason. Hutson. Mason. At quarterback.
Things got somewhat back on track the next week in a 31-7 sleeper win over Samford. Most fans knew not to put much stock in that. Gus had obviously spent the entire time preparing for Alabama and hadn’t looked at Samford film one bit. That was fine, because the effort against the Tide the next week was fantastic, even if it did result in a loss.
Auburn went to Tuscaloosa at 8-3, and the rabid unwashed masses were ripe with the memories of the Kick Six. Bama was of course back in the playoff picture after winning out since their lone loss, and the Tigers were a serious underdog. Once again, the Tigers fumbled their opening play, and Bama took a 14-3 lead shortly after that.
Then, Auburn opened up the playbook. Gus let Nick Marshall throw and throw. And it worked. Except once we got into the red zone.
Marshall and Sammie Coates hooked up for several big plays, and Coates’ 200+ yard receiving effot was only outshined by Amari Cooper’s better night. Still, Auburn led 26-21 at halftime thanks to Coates’ two long touchdowns. It could’ve, and should’ve been so much more as the Tigers stalled inside the 20 time and again.
Auburn stalled inside the ten four times and Daniel Carlson hit four field goals on those drives, but they could’ve had 40 points at halftime with a little better play. The defense picked off Blake Sims multiple times, and he was nearly pulled. In a shrewd coaching move, Nick Saban stuck with his starter and he willed them to a comeback win against a tired defense. If he’d gone to the backup, Bama likely loses.
Once again, the Tiger defense wore out in the second half, as Bama scored 34 points after halftime, eventually running away with a 55-44 win.
Nick Marshall set the Auburn single-game passing record with 456 yards, and the Tigers rolled up over 600 on the Tide. It was the defense failing to stop Alabama at any point in the late stages of the game that cost Auburn a huge win.
It cost Ellis Johnson his job. He was fired shortly after the Iron Bowl and the Tigers hired Will Muschamp for the job. For their efforts and an 8-4 regular season, Auburn earned a bid to play Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. One 34-31 overtime loss later, and the year ended 8-5. Auburn had allowed 400 rushing yards to the Badgers in the defeat, finishing the year on a defensive whimper.
Somehow, that led to even higher expectations for the next season. Looking back, I’m a little surprised they were as lofty as they were.
Coming Up: Is a Preseason Heisman better than no Heisman at all?
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