Playing Catch Up (Part Three)

I've decided to start calling my mom's best friend Gidgit. Don't know why really but it fits. Anyway, we get up Saturday with the only plans in mind being getting together with Gidgit. She get's it, she has known my grandma since she was five. We were looking forward to the uncensored atmosphere that comes with Gidgit. We get all dressed and ready and head out to face grandma. She asked if we had gotten into contact with Gidgit yet and we said nope but we had plans to get together today so we weren't worried. Gidgit then calls, her ears must have been burning.

Grandma answered, and why not, it's her phone. She went on to tell Gidgit that we had just been talking about her, blah blah blah the normal small talk. Then grandma tells Gidgit that we have an "appointment" at five and we needed to be back by then to go out to dinner with the serious uncle. Um, what? It had been brought up that maybe we would join the serious uncle at a Japanese BBQ restaurant that evening. Nothing solidified and seriously something I wasn't interested in so why all of a sudden were we committed to cut short any time we get with Gidgit?

So we had to be back at five, whatever, we'll deal. The fun uncle had printed off the menu to the place, grandma asked if I looked through it, I said yes, she asked if I would be able to find anything to eat there and of course I responded no. She told me that I would and left it at that. My grandma has to be right, either that or it's the desire to fight, whatever the cause this was the theme of nearly every conversation with her the whole vacation.

So we hopped in the car with Gidgit and rode to temporary freedom in Seal Beach. We wandered Main Street and smoked cigarettes, she unlike everyone in my family knew it was my business if I wanted to smoke. She took us to Woody's and we chowed down on cheese fries and an appetizer sampler, her and the hubby with beers and I with a mimosa (for lack of a better choice.) We got to bitch and rant about grandma and my mom to a sympathetic ear and believe me it was nice.

Around four we had finished scraping the plates clean and were outwearing our welcome within the Woody's fine establishment so we left and with a little time left we had Gidgit help us locate not only a 99 cent store but also a head shop. With time to spare we began the short drive home, just in time for the fun uncle to call and inquire as to where we were. We got home to grandma's and the hissy fit began. "You only have two minutes to get ready!" What? Apparently no one had bothered to tell us that it was a five o'clock reservation and WE were holding things up by being late with Gidgit. After a little huff of anger as grandma ranted "I told you..." no you didn't but that's besides the point, I asked just how ready we were supposed to be to go to this place, considering I looked just fine and if this was a fancy place, it's another thing that was coincidently left out. With an attitude that I can't quite describe she said "at least wash your face!" Ha! Whatever, the hubby and I kind of made a run for it and hopped into the fun uncle's car to escape to this dinner that I didn't even want to go to.

Before I even got a chance to really complain about the irritant she caused, the fun uncle cut me off and said "that's just grandma" and that was the end of the conversation. Why does being the matriarch give you this kind of power and why the hell do I take it so personally? Ugh.

Needless to say dinner was less then entertaining. It was this weird restaurant where there was a grill in the middle of the table and the bring all the food out raw and you cook it yourself. Considering you had to cook it yourself, I doubt the bill should have been as much as it was. Yes the hubby enjoyed it, he always enjoys new food endeavors. Me? While the hubby, my two uncles and the serious uncle's wife ate I sat and drank soda. There was seriously not one thing on that damn menu for someone as picky as me, regardless of weed/munchie status.

So with the hubby full and me not even interested in eating we head back to grandma's and promptly grabbed her car and left again. First we visited the head shop pointed out by Gidgit, which oddly enough is just like three blocks from grandma's. We bought a little tiny bubbler direct from the distributor because everyone was pissed having had to wait for the owner for over four hours at that point.

We then went back to that 99 cent store and browsed for a while, in search of nothing in particular but disappointed with the lack of souvenirs to take back home to friends. By around nine we figured it was late enough to head back, pretty secure in the knowledge that grandma would be in bed. We were right and slipped right past her door into our room. After that we sat down with a recently purchased fountain drink from McDonalds and a half of pint of Canadian Mist whiskey and drank ourselves to sleep.

Sunday we got up and were basically right out the door again after committing to a snaky dinner with grandma at five. We head down to the Huntington Beach Pier again, the crowd having easily doubled in comparison to the other day. We walked around, bought post cards and sea shells and a few other cheap little items. My feet were hurting still, it's amazing how good a nap sounded.

After a couple hours we headed back to grandma's to drop off the car before going out to the beach to get a little sun on the remaining pale spots. With a couple of beach towels in tow we again head out across the sand, a little better in flip flops (except for the blister between my toes that they caused.) We found a nice little spot and laid down, the hubby even shedding his tank top for the first time.

We were out there less then an hour. It was hot, windy and the hubby was starting to burn at lightning speed. This little excursion, maybe only forty-five minutes, caused the hubby to develop some horrible blisters that to this day haven't gotten much better, actually they have gotten worse with a whole new batch showing up across his stomach just yesterday.

We went back inside and read our books until grandma rang the proverbial dinner bell. Dinner consisted of various fruits and vegetables, a plate of rolled up meats and cheeses, chips and dip and dinner rolls. Really, nothing I wouldn't eat and thank goodness, I hadn't eaten yet that day. The only thing grandma fought me on was this brie cheese dip she had. She insisted I try it before even giving me the chance to decline. I tried it, it was okay I guess but according to her it was fabulous and I just didn't appreciate it.

After dinner the hubby and I went out to the beach one more time. We brought a zip-lock bag and grabbed some sand to take back with us and sat and watched the sun begin to set. It was our last day and we ended it in peace.

We went to bed early that night, our flight was an early one so we were leaving for the airport at five. We set the alarm for three thirty to leave time for showers and the final packing. Around two thirty we got up due to the lack of being able to sleep. I took a shower but the hubby was unable, big fatty blisters had popped up on his shoulders over night and he didn't even want to move.

The plane rides home were interesting. I had to carry the backpack due to the hubby's pain and the flight attendant was not helping every time she slammed into his shoulder on the way down the aisle. It was became obvious we were over Oregon when the skies became gray. "Local temperature 64 degrees and overcast." The hubby and I high fived.

Once on the ground we grabbed our luggage and headed outside. I was wearing that skirt I bought at Rite-Aid on day one and there was a breeze, it was the first time in a week that I had been cold. It was wonderful. After a few minutes we saw Hairy's familiar Volvo pull up, his new roommate with him, and it was a glorious sight. We were definitely home.

Okay, I think I am going to reserve the rest for "Part Four" because there is actually a lot to tell. Stuff that happened while we were gone and what's happened since we've gotten back. Shit's screwy I will tell you that much.