The morning after the show, I woke up to snow on my tent and icy roads. I went in the hostel, showered, and chatted with folks a bit before breaking down my camp. Part of me was reluctant to go. I was enjoying the house and the little community there. I didn't like the prospect of the 8.5hr drive home nor did I want to pay for a hotel room. I made some efforts towards visiting friends in either the Roanoke or Durham areas and crashing with them on my way back to try to break things up, but was unsuccessful.
Leaving, I headed over to one last brewpub, which was recommended by Nathan at the hostel; Lexington Avenue Brewery (or The LAB as the locals call it). I got a sampler, which was decent. Actually, I was surprised to find that I liked their brown ale the best as that's rarely the style I'd choose. The menu was filled with wondrous choices, but I opted to go with the $5 enchilada lunch special. Still, something told me to give into the temptation to also order a $6 lunch special of two sliders. I chose a duck comfit one and a deep fried turkey one that had maple cream cheese and pepper bacon on it. This wound up being a fateful decision.
As I was finishing, an attractive couple in their late 40's sat near me at the bar. They intoduced themselves as Jack and Monique, names that suited them well but seemed almost cliche. Their story was an interesting one. They had moved up to Florida the day before this wintry storm hit. The building next to their new home had been knocked down that day. They shared that they had dated in their 20's and were giving things another try. Their adoration for each other was palpable and yet not sickening. I found them enchanting and inspiring. Indeed, I plan to include characters based on them and their story in the text of yet to be determined length (don't want to call it a book yet) that this trip has inspired.
Eventually, I pried myself away from The LAB and the couple of the year. Out into the icy street I went, getting pelted by the freezing rain all the while. I made my way back to my car and hit the road. The interstate was a wide skating rink with not a grain of salt or sand to be found. Vehicles went all ranges of speed from 20-80+. I skidded at one point where fortunately there were few cars. I wound of crossing multiple lanes and thought for sure I'd either hit another car or the guardrail but, thanks to God's watching over me, I managed to right my course without incident.
Steadily, I worked my way back across North Carolina. Once I got around The Triangle area, things really slowed down. Now everything was dark, slick, and slush. Cars were all going about 20mph. Ultimately, I stopped in Henderson for the night because though under normal conditions I'd have been only two hours away from home, at the current rate it would have taken me over 6hrs. In town, I found an open Econolodge but found that all the restaurants nearby, including the Burger King were closed due to the road conditions, despite it only being 7pm. Fortunately, I had those two sliders and a microwave in my room!
I slept a wonderful sleep, my first indoors since Pensacola. What a change in climate! The next morning, the roads had melted and the way home was clear enough for me to get home in plenty of time to keep my evening plans. The next morning, I settled into being back home in a major way: cooking, home brewing, cleaning, doing laundry, and all sorts of home living tasks that I enjoyed with a certain joy that can only come from the missing of home. Rounding out the end of my little vacation, that night I went to a new meditation group. My regular one had been cancelled, but this one was shared as an alternate option. There, a guy I had seen at my regular group a couple times was also giving this one a try. When chatting afterward with me and the group mediator, he shared that he had been a White Power (WP) skinhead. I smiled and told him that this was very interesting because I used to be a S.H.A.R.P. (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). There we were, face to face, two former representatives of factions who would have fought each other upon sight based on our ideological differences. Now, we embraced as brothers, following a meditation group at a Buddhist temple. It was truly a wonderful and funny thing that we couldn't help but chuckle about. Such is the power of healing and understanding that can come from an exploration of self. I couldn't imagine a better last story to come out of a trip so full of wonder and learning opportunities.
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