The last couple of days we were there were very nice and relaxing. There was a lot of time spent at the beach and watching TV and hanging out around the house. Thursday night, we went to a pretty good comedy show at the Ramada Inn, and afterwards I paid Rochelle a visit at her shop before coming home. The last day there was spent at the beach for most of the day, and the weather was nice enough to let us have a good time there. We went to a nice dinner at a place called the Flying Fish Cafe for dinner, and I had a delicious plate of seared tuna with some Asian type of noodles and sauce. I packed quickly back at the house, and by just after 9pm, I walked on the beach towards the Ramada hotel and met with Rochelle on the back patio. She was talking with some girls who she just made friends with, and all of us quickly went into the bar to go listen to this cover band. They were really nice and were playing some really fun songs, and Rochelle and I had a great time dancing together bare-footed and in front of all the other vacationers. We snuck into the pool afterwards and had a great swim with a pool and hot tub all to ourselves, and the entire time I felt incredibly comfortable and very open around her. Rochelle was just one of those personalities that radiates and carries into the best of everybody when she's around, something like what Emelye carries around with my friends and I. We talked for a while in the hot tub together, and with loudened voices speaking over some violently bubbling jets, I tried to emulate my conversation with her like the comedians I'd seen the night before, and she was cracking up and laughing at all the stories I told to her. Again, it was something about her that opened me up and made me talk and express stories in ways that I have not done before. After drying ourselves and collecting our belongings, we went to the beach and spent some time going into the ocean, which was a completely different experience from the daytime, as the waves were churning more violently, and the ocean was an infinite darkness surrounding us, very mysteriously. We ran along the shore, and the entire time I had at the ocean then was completely mindblowing. I definitely ran through a lot of deep thoughts at times when I would just sit on the shoreline and just stare out across the distance of the ocean, many, many thoughts. Rochelle and I took a picture together on the beach, and after lying next to each other, we spent some time just holding each other and enjoying that night together. It was beautiful and there was an incredible energy running between us. At one point, there were a bunch of drunk vacationers who came down from the hotel, and something about them made me laugh uncontrollably, which made Rochelle laugh uncontrolably, and we just sat on the beach, pressing our heads into each other and verging on tears because we couldn't control our emotions for so long. I definitely have not had an outburst of laughter like that in such a long time, but with Rochelle, everything just felt hilarious to think about...all the fear, all the overthinking, all the tightness of the throat...I laughed at all of it for a long, long time. Rochelle was just a beautiful person to be with that night. I definitely thought of the crush I had on her from the first night I was at the beach, and to be next to her in her arms on that dark shoreline seemed like totally out of the movies, totally unrealistic, but there we were, huddled together in the sand, her hands clasp on mine expressing her returned interest and emotion that I had all over her there, and that exchange of energy made me feel so happy to be with her that night. My Southern Belle, my Southern Belle. I walked with our hands held together and our arms around each others' shoulders to her car, and after driving me back home, she came out, we held each other again, gave a deep, long hug, and she told me that she felt safe with me, that I was a true gentleman, and that she would miss me. After one last long, bittersweet hug, I kissed her on the cheek, and after she slowly left the driveway, she was soon out of sight on the beach road in her car.
Summer romance is still romance, and romance still breeds feelings of happiness, love, and longing in me. Some part of me wished I could just be there in the Outer Banks with her all summer, but other parts recognized that I have many, many places to go in my life, that there are so many other things that are important to my own development. However the case, it was great to spend some time intimately with such a beautiful person as Rochelle. I texted her the morning after and said we will meet again in the mountains. I can only expect and hope that will happen in our lives, for sure.
The morning after, the family and I had some breakfast at Nags Head Pier, and after another rouse at Galaga, we left the Outer Banks. The drive home seemed longer, but not much longer, and we had some stops at Starbucks and Taco Bell to rest and rejuvenate. The weather was very hot and humid all over the east coast that day. We got back to Maryland, and we took Chey over to Grandma's nurse office to look at her ear again, as Chey had an earache all day long. After Grampa, Grandma and I unloaded some things at the house, we all went to eat dinner at Frank's, and we had all sorts of Italian dishes of the varitey of pasta and pizza. We got some ice cream afterwards, and Dad took us on a tour of his old "stomping grounds," aka his old high school and middle school, and back at home, we unloaded, did some laundry, and had an easy night. With some Crown Royale, Grampa, Dad, and I had a cheers to a good week at the beach, and everyone went to bed soon afterwards.
So the vacation's not over! Dad and I have many, many miles to travel before we are back at home, and there's so much ahead of us. We are going to Cedar Point by Tuesday, and hopefully soon afterwards, we will be in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with Cousin Jim and his wife Judy. It will be nice to see the Great Lakes and all the trees again.
Here's to good memories, and here's to beauty everywhere.
My Southern Belle, my Southern Belle.
-c
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