And then, there were none. No more buses or trains or hotels to speak of, that is. We even arrived at our destination an hour early (though a day late for the tamales we were so looking forward to, which had been consumed by a bunch of drunken Mexicans the night before our arrival, but I digress). And so, it is time to reflect upon the trip that was New York to Denver. Well, it wasn't great. But it wasn't awful. And it was definitely better than I thought it was gonna be. Did my brother and I have any deep, meaningful conversations or resolve any of our major issues? No. Did we get on each other's last nerve and try to throw each other under the various modes of transportation we took? Also a no. We didn't talk much until the last leg of the journey, and even then it was just basic conversation. But I guess that's something. I have to admit that I expected my brother to become a little unhinged when things started to not go at all according to plan. But I think the enormity of the trip was a little overwhelming and he didn't have the energy to complain.
Did I learn anything on our semi-cross country trip, you ask? Well that's a mighty good question. I learned that even though I initially fought taking this trip and tried to get someone else to go in my place, deep down I really wanted to be the one escorting my brother home. I knew it might be awkward and I'd probably be lonely since he might not talk to me, but I still wanted to go. It felt like something I needed to do. And it turned out to be good for both of us because it seems to have thawed out the lines of communication. There's no more walking on eggshells around each other. I no longer dread seeing him or hearing from him. I'm even actually starting to like him as a human being again. And I'm pretty sure he's coming around on that whole 'hating my guts' thing he's been hanging on to for way too long now. So, even though it took longer than we thought and we had to use more means of transportation than initially planned, this trip was a very good thing. Exhausting, but good. What happens from here, we shall see. But I'm thankful for the opportunity and happy my brother will get to finish his recovery where he wants. And, cuz ya'll know I love me some upsides, I now know which Holiday Inn not to stay in should I ever be in the great state of Iowa again (hookers and johns and drug deals, oh my).
