Waystation Newport

I've been having a lot of company lately. As you may be aware, I'm not the most social of creatures, so a lot of the knocking at my door comes as an interruption of whatever I'm doing. Even so, it's nice to have company now and then. The anti-social and lonely aspects of my personality are at a constant war with each other. Surely there must be some happy medium.

Let's go back to Wednesday. I got home to find a message from Amy on my machine asking if she could come over and check her mail. As I'd run some errands that afternoon, there was a delay in my arrival, so even before I could call her back I saw her coming up the driveway through my living room window. She didn't stay long, though. She checked her mail and then I took her to the store so she could pick up cigarettes, and then I dropped her off at her place. Cooter was outside doing something or other, and I just waved and left. I'd had enough of him that day already. Amy was sure that she was bothering me, but she really wasn't, and she's welcome here anytime. Being here alone with her, however, does produce a certain side-effect that takes me about 24 hours to divest myself of. I may have given up hope more or less as far as what I was thinking about last winter, but as long as I'm here alone that side-effect is going to happen.

Yesterday afternoon Cooter and Allison stopped by for a visit. They stayed for probably forty-five minutes. I found some small stuffed animals and some beanies for her to occupy herself with, so she had a good time. Not ten minutes after they left there was another knock on the door. This time it was Amy and Natalia (some wacky ass girl from Mass who showed up with Amy here before -- I can't remember if I mentioned her or not), and it was Natalia who wanted to check her mail, which took all of two minutes. Then Amy asked if I could pick her up some cigs using a Rite-Aid gift card she had some money left on, so that she could run home and let Cooter in because she had the only key ... or something like that. So, sure, what the heck.

I dropped off the cigarettes and ended up staying for hamburgers. Hey, free food. Why not? I was over there a little longer than I intended to be, but considering I only intended to drop the cigs and run that's kind of a given.

Yesterday was easily the most visitors I've had here in one day. Here's the list of every combination of people who have been here to date:

Cooter and Eric
Dad
Cooter
Mom and Dad
Colleen and Ian
Cooter and Amy
Amy
Amy and Natalia
Cooter and Allison

I think that's everybody. You'll note the omission of Jen on the list. She's never been here.

I'll update the list as more visitors arrive.