Into the Black, part 2

I met up with Jen later that afternoon (Thursday). She was racing back from Manchester, having just visited her longtime friend Nicole, when she called me here. We were hooking up to attend her little brother's graduation, and I was going to meet some of the family. That I was coming along to this was actually something that was suggested by Jen's mom, so on Wednesday when Jen asked if I was still coming, I answered, "Of course. I don't want to disappoint my Future Mother-In-Law." Running jokes rule.

She was coming in sooner than I expected, so I had to throw myself together very quickly. I figured I should look a bit nicer than I generally tend to, considering, and after that hellish workday I definitely needed a shower. Jen picked me up here, I told her some of the stories from Part 1, and we settled on a cover story, as she hadn't told her mom and step-mom what had happened the day before, and didn't want to either. So of course, I totally backed that up. My own mom doesn't know everything either, and possibly never will. Turns out we didn't even need that cover story and it never came up.

We went over to her aunt's house first, and her mom was the first person I met, which seems fitting enough. She likes me, too. I always tend to score pretty well with the folks of my girlfriends (except for Samantha's, who just hated me for reasons I never figured out), as well as with little kids and animals. It's my niche. I also met her grandma, her aunt, and various assorted uncles and cousins, most of whom I don't remember right now. But that's ok; I got the mom. Turns out one of the guys there was a Bad Uncle, if you get my meaning, and I'm actually glad that Jennifer waitied until much much much later to point that out.

From there we headed to Lebanon High for the ceremony. One of her cousins ... or nephews ... I'm not sure ... rode with us, along with his 14 year old girlfriend (yikes!) (he's like 18, see). Once we got there I met Sherrie, the step-mom, who also seemed very nice (I'd sort of met her once already, kinda), along with other various members of that side of the family. The other side of the family, described to me as the scary side, were sitting elsewhere, and Jen kept up a running debate as to whether or not she was going to subject me to them. And she didn't. Apparently, her dad is kind of intense and her grandmother is evil, at least that's how it was laid out to me.

But news apparently did travel over to that group that Jen was there with someone, which I guess is some sort of big deal. I guess she isn't the sort who attaches herself to a Boyfriend all that easily. That's what they apparently think, and let me tell you from personal experience ... they aren't wrong.

The ceremony, as Lebanon is a huge class, went on for a pretty long while. Jen and I actually ditched out before the end, which also became something of a scandal, since that meant she ducked out on a lot of the pictures that were taken. Some comments were made from the peanut gallery about what a cute couple we were, along with the usual remarks about my eyes (my best feature), and for a bit Jen was even leaning her head on my arm. Now this is a part where I *should* have made more of a move to put my own arm around her, but held back because of things I know about her and things she's said about her general comfort level with things .... so I kind of blew it there, yeah. Don't think I don't regret it.

After we ditched she and I went over to the Chinese Buffet place and hung out there for a while and talked. A lot of it was about work, going back over everything that was said both during her firing and what I'd gotten from other people since. After that we went for a drive around the local area and some interesting backroads. We ended up getting 'lost' over in her neck of the woods, so she suggested I could just crash at her house, which was fine with me. No, I didn't expect anything to happen like that, not with her mom and Sherrie there, or maybe at all. I don't know. But I figured what the heck.

I'm not sure her mom was completely jazzed about the idea, but I'd already promised to be on my best behavior, as if that was any question, and plus her dog Sarah slept in there with us most of the night, too. It was a bit awkward, not because of the dog, but because of the complex nature of this relationship, and I think I'll just leave it at that if y'all don't mind. It did take me a little while before I could fall asleep.

The plan was for her to drop me off at work for 7:00. But that was only Part 1 of what we'd sketched out. The rest came later.

(to be continued)