| OUT AND ABOUT |
| Memphis was a disaster for most of the weekend, and it was all of my own doing. I began by leaving Little Rock before completing my checklist of essentials, and as a result, I left my wig at home, and although I've been growing my hair since January, but at the phenomenal rate of 1/2" per month, it's just over the tops of my ears. So, I fixed my face, wore the ball cap, and felt very awkward. The girls said all the right stuff, and I felt better about it. Four of us went to dinner, and at the Restaurant, a large group of college kids were yukking it up, and wanted to come over and become our friends. Then my necklace clasp broke, and i spent the rest of the time at the restaurant trying to get it back together. As that was going on, I became rather warm and embarrassed, and began to perspire, which melted the adhesive on my false eyelashes, and they fell off. I was afraid what might fall off next, so I was glad when they suggested we go to a piano bar for a nightcap. I don't know how it happened, but I seem to have all of the homing instincts of a flea, and in two right turns I was as lost as I could be. I saw Nicole turn left as she left the parking lot, and I figured that she were going somewhere else first, but I remembered Rose saying to take two rights, then turn left at the viaduct. I turned right, then right at the next street, and it didn't look "busy" enough, and so I said, "Rose must have meant turn right at the street with the light," so I turned around at the theater place with the blue neon and doubled back to the street with the light, But it wasn't Poplar, and I drove down several blocks and decided to return to the starting point and try again, and then I ran into Poplar. I knew I was on it then. WRONG, I couldn't see a viaduct until I was almost to town, the next thing I saw was the Mississippi River Bridge all lit up, and then there I was outside the police station at shift change. I had forgotten to bring my cell phone to call you girls, and I knew I was going to jail; there must have been 100 cops and cars out there. I said, "Girl, get thyself home." And I did. However, at the same time, half of the people staying at Extended Stay returned home, so I waited a few moments for them all to pull past my car before getting out, and luckily, no one parked next to me. I put my keys in my purse, put my head down, and tried to walk quietly away, and melt into the night. Of course, when I stepped out of the car, something in my purse tripped the car alarm. I debated whether to stop, unzip my purse, look for the key, and press it again to activate the alarm, or just run inside. I finally, after 2 1/2 hours I felt, opted to find my keys and turn it of, which I did, but not until everyone in the parking lot was staring at me. I then walked briskly across the two-mile wide parking lot to my stairs, up, and into my room, locking the door, and hiding until morning. When I stopped for gas on the way home, I bought a map of Memphis, and vowed to make a daylight run to these watering holes for reconnaissance before the next outing, and THAT will never happen again. I will make a checklist to sign off on before the motor starts up again. So, that about sums up that experience I would just as soon have not had. |
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