Our second day of road-tripping has at last taken us to points heretofore unvisited by the boys. We tiptoed out of Aunt Naomi's lovely apartment this morning at nine after a breakfast of tea, toast and peaches and hit the road for Ohio. I managed to keep the kids from begging for the Nintendo DSI for a little over an hour as we took in the idyllic scenery of the South side of Chicago, which some consider "the baddest part of down." We were very alert for the presence of one of its most notorious denizens, one Leroy Brown, who is said to be badder than a junkyard dog.
Good news of the day: the "IPass" works in states other than Illinois. In fact, it also works in states that begin with letters other than "I". Bad news: at my first attempted gas-up of the doughty Beigemobile, the cash-loaded debit card with which I have been equipped for this trip DID NOT WORK. Either at the pump or inside. The flossy-haired woman working the gas station was deeply skeptical of my attempts to pay for gas with this card, which is emblazoned with the word "Buxx." When I called the customer service number on the back of the card, I was given only the following two options: press "1" if you are the parent or guardian of the cardholder; or press "2" if you are the teen cardholder. I am neither! I am the cardholder, and have not been a teen for nearly two decades, despite the fact that I still feel like an awkward thirteen-year-old and also still get acne. The point being: My husband gave me a teenager cash card for the road trip.
We reached Cleveland in good time, checked into our hotel room, which the boys decided immediately that they never want to leave. They do not have much experience staying in hotels, and find the Courtyard Marriott to be a veritable Xanadu of pleasures. We met up with former MFA colleague Brian and his wife Mary for dinner at a superbly-selected restaurant called Fathead's, where I enjoyed one of the most delicious bacon-cheeseburgers I can recall ever having the pleasure of consuming. The boys sat and read patiently throughout the meal; good on you, boys! We repaired to Brian and Mary's lovely and spotlessly clean home and met their baby son Elliott, who managed to be both adorable and distinguished-looking simultaneously. Brian is a genius who will soon knock the world on its arse with his debut novel, and Mary is raising a future Nobel Peace Prize winner. Also, they have a Wii and let my boys sing "Eye of the Tiger" with their American Idol Karaoke game.
Above you see my guys posing on Brian and Mary's front porch with Elliott, as well as a snap of them enjoying a sybaritic good time in the Marriott hot tub. They have already asked me if we can come back to Ohio next year and replicate this visit in every single respect except its brevity. Tomorrow: Our Nation's Capital! Taxation without Representation!
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