I woke up on Friday to get ready for work to find that I had a very sore throat and a runny nose and was very upset to be feeling under the weather with Kathleen's arrival a mere twenty-four hours away. (Still, I kind of felt it was only appropriate for one of us to be sick for our reunion since at least one of us was almost ALWAYS sick in Australia.) As soon as I got off work that night, I loaded up on nose sprays, cough drops, and cold meds to give me the best chance at a good night’s sleep. This worked well in two ways, because my nose stopped running long enough to allow me to breathe well enough to fall asleep, and it took care of the butterflies-in-my-stomach/first-day-of-school-excitement that would have kept me up.
When my alarm went off Saturday morning, I read Kathleen’s message (she missed the bus) and promptly snoozed for another hour, which did wonders for my head cold though it meant I had to wait for Kathleen just a little longer. I headed to Port Authority Terminal and after text- and phone-tag, I spotted a pair of purple boots and a purple bag, and I knew I had found Kathleen. I’m trying to think of a metaphor for the excitement, the happiness, the shock, the elation that I felt when we finally had the longest hug of all time in the middle of the hallway outside RadioShack, but an explosion doesn’t come close to describing what I felt. Kathleen and I were together.
It was as if she’d just popped back into my dorm room in Australia, like we’d never spent more than four seconds apart. We made our way back to my apartment and hung around for a bit before heading for lunch, chatting and catching up on any and every detail we’ve missed out on with each other over the last year.
For lunch, we decided to go to Ellen’s Stardust Diner. Good choice as always, Kathleen! It’s a 50s style diner, which is almost guaranteed to serve a good burger, but this diner is special in that all its waiters and waitresses are performers. Apparently, a number of Broadway stars get their start at this diner, and we could absolutely see why. They’re all fantastic singers. And it didn’t stop the entire time we sat and ate. We sat at a tiny half booth/table, elbow-to-elbow with the customers on either side, and the servers walked around the tables or climbed onto the little platform that made up the backs of the booths, directly behind my head.
We continued to reminisce, talk about the future, and everything in between over our pitcher of Brooklyn Seasonal Ale – I’m in love with every Brooklyn-brewed beer I’ve tried so far, by the way! – Blue Suede Burgers, and waffle fries. The music ranged from classic rock to the Wicked soundtrack to Call Me Maybe (yes, really – it was a request, apparently…damn that catchy awful song), and every singer was spot on and so fun to listen to. It was so fun and so delicious that neither Kathleen nor I felt that bad over the $75 bill. But that’s New York near Times Square for you, I guess!
Heavily weighed down, we headed into Times Square where we were almost immediately distracted by the M&Ms store. Where they have bags to create your own mix from any color and any type of M&M you can imagine. We started to fill up a bag until we noticed that the line was ridiculously long, at which point we put the bags back and were content with the few pieces of candy we’d accidentally already popped in our mouths. (Everyone else was too…)
So we trekked to the big red stairs in Times Square and looked at all the people dressed in costumes taking photos with tourists and seriously contemplated taking photos too. But we didn’t.
After some shopping and a Starbucks-fueled pick-me-up, we tried to hail a taxi to take us to the Staten Island Ferry, but I think we suck at hailing cabs. After a few minutes, a hired car offered to take us for a flat rate and we hopped in. The driver was so nice and we talked to him for most of the twenty-minute drive. He told us about things to do in New York, pointed out different places and landmarks to go as we drove, and told us about growing up in New York. I love getting cool drivers.
We were just in time to board the ferry to Staten Island, our only goal to see the Statue of Liberty since it was already dark and getting late at this point. We sat on the top deck, marveling at the lights and New York skyline as we left the dock. Moments after taking off, the Statue was visible, glowing green on the water. It was another of those I-can’t-believe-I’m-really-seeing-this kinds of moments. Such a monumental landmark and significant symbol of our country, it was incredible to see in person. It is much smaller than I was expecting, and I’d been told this already but it was still remarkably and surprisingly small. I definitely need to come back in the daylight!
Once we made the round trip, snapping photos all along the way, we boarded the subway to head back to mine where we had some exciting and epic Skype dates set up in Australia. First on the agenda were Ross and Vez. I’ve been able to Skype Ross a few times, but Vez and I have only messaged since I left Australia so it was particularly fantastic to get to Skype the two of them while I was with Kathleen in person. Such a happy reunion! Next, Kathleen and I had the pleasure of talking to Chris who Kathleen has kept in better touch with than I have, so it was SO nice to get to talk to him finally too! Here's to keeping in even better touch.
ILY, you guys. You’re the greatest, and seeing you online only makes me want to get to Australia that much faster in person. Still at the absolute top of my travel list, to get back and spend time with you all. Or, come to the States and I will gladly host you forever. Please and thank you!
Having gotten our Australia fix (for the time being – there’s always an incurable Australia longing lurking in my chest that will invade my dreams and errant thoughts at the slightly provocation), we grabbed our six-pack and headed to my roof that overlooks the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River. We spent even longer talking up there, just like we had been all day. I can’t remember laughing that much in so long. We capped off the night with some Fresh Prince on TV back in my room and crashed, happy as can be.
This morning was an early one as I still had to go to work at the bakery, so Kathleen and I had pastries and I had a much needed coffee before I started my shift. Kathleen hung out doing thesis work like a boss while I readied the hosting area for the day’s service, and before I knew it Kathleen was coming over to say bye to go catch her bus. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach, realizing that I had to say goodbye again. Note to self: don’t say goodbye to anyone who will make you want to cry at work, because it’s really awkward if you’re even just a little teary-eyed when trying to seat unsuspecting customers. Also: try your best not to sneeze on customers either. I didn’t, but there were two close calls that could have been really, really gross, stupid cold. Sneezing bullet: dodged. Teary-eyes: working on it.
Kathleen, I had SO much fun with you in the day that we got spend together! Thank you so much for making the trip, because I had the greatest time, and I cannot wait to see you again. I promise that as soon as I find a day (or hopefully more!) that I’m not working, I will make the trip to see you, because I cannot stand the thought of it being another year until I see you again. You’re such a great friend, and I know you’re there for me like I’m here for you. I miss you already, and I’m so happy you made it home safe already! I miss you, I love you, and I WILL see you soon! Thank you for yet another unforgettable weekend, and know that I am looking forward to the next one as soon as it is humanly possible!
Here and there,
Kiley
I love this!! I had SO much fun with you and I can not wait until we are together again. Thanks for the best weekend :)
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