The Gang Goes to the Cliffs
A reflection on one of my last social gatherings before quarantine
I am quite the recluse, but I do enjoy a nice social gathering every now and then. Before quarantine, most of my socializing was with my beloved group of friends and coworkers. We all work together at a hippie store in the mall, and I have been fortunate enough to become good friends with almost every person I have worked with. This group of the four of us really is special. We make plans to do cool things and then we actually do them. I've never had friends like that before. Usually in the past, "Let's go bowling," or "We should check this place out sometime" has never become anything more than just an idea or fantasy. But with these people, the ideas actually come to life and we always have a blast together. It really warms my heart. The gang consists of myself, Allegra who is formally known as Woman, Travis who goes by Travo most times, and Josh who is also known as Josg, but that's only when he's been drinking (typos are fun sometimes). Oh, and Josh also happens to be my beautiful partner. The last time we all gathered before quarantine we went to the diner for shakes and food and then we all smoked in my car, but I didn't take any pictures that time so this will be a memoir of our previous adventures before that.
If I remember correctly, it was early March. It was one of the first nice days we had, and the plan was "blunts and bagies (bagels)," as Allegra so elegantly put it. We met at Travis's house, hopped into my car because my car is the coolest, and we got ourselves some coffee and bagels. Once we got back to Travis's house, we had ourselves a classic session of smoking and listening to music, along with other shenanigans. We crack each other up and it's so beautiful because we really don't have to try very hard. We're all such completely different people, yet we somehow get along so well. If you're into astrology, we've got two Taureans, an Aries, and a Virgo. Anyway, after a while of being under the influence, it was time to eat the bagels we had acquired.
I could've stayed in Travis's warm, smoky room all day probably but it was so nice out, and Josh also had to go to work at some point so we all decided to do some frolicking in nature. Travis had been telling us about this spot, the cliffs, close by to where he lives. I'm always up for a nice view so that's where we decided to go. It took the car full of very silly people a hot minute to find the trail to the cliffs, but once we did we made our way up. I offered to carry Allegra several times because she is small and she was not wearing proper footwear for this endeavor. However, she declined my many offers. Once we got there, the view was incredible. This particular spot overlooks one of the roads I've traveled often. Every time I've been on this road, I've admired the mountain adjacent to it because there is one big piece of rock in particular that has been painted and tagged. I thought it was so cool when I was little, and here we were, standing on top of that very rock. I couldn't believe where we actually were. It wasn't sentimental or anything, but it was one of those "ah-ha" moments. It was also crazy realizing how high up we actually were. We continued to enjoy the view and each other's company, and smoked some more. Finally it was time for Josh to go to work at our ridiculous little store in the mall.
Now I smile every time I drive on that road and pass the rock where we stood. My heart is always so full after any adventures with the gang. Bowling is our main activity, and Josh and I usually win. We do branch out on occasion, though. We have so many more adventures planned. So far on our list we have a trip to Bojangles' which Travis always rants about, getting drunk together, another trip to the cliffs, and more bowling. I love our group so much. They accept me for who I am, and we always have each other's backs. We have a group chat which is usually wildly hilarious, and we even have Skype parties. These things might not seem like a big deal to most people, but this is my first time having friends like them and I love them dearly. I miss them so terribly much and I can't wait for adventures with the gang to continue.
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