EXCERPTS FROM MY LIFE//DESTINY AT LINN COVE
We had a work meeting on a Saturday. You were a part of their training program, so you had to be there for a skit you guys spent the past 2 weeks planning. I told the managers I couldn’t work my volume shift because I needed to go to the Linn Cove Viaduct to take a photo of the fall leaves. I forgot what you told them, but I’m for sure it wasn’t the same as I had because nobody knew about us at work. I was surprised nobody caught on either. You were as lowkey as me, which was one of the many things I loved about you. After the skit, AJ said a few things on behalf of the managers to address some areas we as a staff could improve on. To end the meeting, they gave out 5 awards. Each was for a different category. I ended up winning “Best Pink” for my OVO hoodie as we had to wear pink for breast cancer awareness month. Before leaving I got to talking to Zach about the Linn Cove Viaduct (he had moved down from Boone) to which he said the leaves are beautiful during this time of the year. I wished him luck on the night, hoping he would enjoy the volume shift I typically worked. An hour later you met me at the crib. We walked Bagel a lengthy walk before we headed out for the Blue Ridge Parkway.
It took two hours to get there, most of which you slept. It didn’t bother me as being around you was more than enough. I was just happy you came along with me to follow through on this dumb idea I had of taking my version of a photo I’d seen on the internet. When we parked, we began our hike guided by a post I’d bookmarked on my phone. If I remember correctly, it was .8 miles one way. I asked if you were ready, to which you responded isn’t this what we drove 2 hours for lol. We hiked a chilly path, passing under the Blue Ridge Parkway, through lichen-infested boulders, and into the colors of fall. 45 minutes later, we took a right through an off-beaten man-made dirt path. When we made it through the greenery, the whole scene opened up. It was better than I had imagined. To our surprise, there were other people hanging on the boulder taking the view in. The sun was setting on the scene we had newly discovered. I sat there drinking Gatorade before pulling my camera out.
I spent the next few minutes taking photos. We both agreed how relieving it felt to have a Saturday night off, and to not deal with long ticket times from the kitchen. More than that, I felt enamored to be here, in the moment, sharing this life with you. You were a girl from Los Angeles, and I was some guy from Apex. Your favorite color was my favorite color. Your favorite basketball team was my favorite basketball team. We listened to the same music, we viewed the world in the same way, you were mine as much as I was yours. We spent the whole summer falling in love, and the fall had continued throughout much of fall into the holiday season. I couldn’t describe what I felt for you, but one thing I knew was that I was lucky to have you in my life. To have someone so caring, so gentle, yet had been through so much made me so grateful. You are forever the light at the end of the tunnel. That was my thought then, and it still is now.
As the sun went down, we both agreed to find a spot to eat. We hiked back to the car, only stopping once to take photos with each other. I drove around aimlessly looking for food. You pulled up the GPS on your phone. Once we realized how close we were to Boone, we headed in that direction. Considering we loved to eat Japanese back home, specifically Ishi, we found a Japanese joint as soon as we pulled into downtown Boone. To our surprise when we walked in, it was one of those restaurants where they cook in front of you. Throughout the summer when we were getting to know each other, that was one thing you wanted to experience: a Japanese steakhouse where the chef would prepare the meals in front of you. It felt like destiny, which is how it felt being with you. Everything was effortless, loving you came second-nature. While we waited for the chef, the seats at our table filled up. We began with salad and sweet tea. As the night went on, the chef cooked rice, veggies, chicken, and shrimp in front of us. He even did the onion volcano thing I liked lol. (All my real people know what I’m talking about) When the night was coming to a close, the chef served us banana he cooked on the grill. Being that both of us were hesitant to try it, I took a bite first. It was unlike anything I’d had, very peculiar because it tasted like cinnamon. We laughed about it as we walked out into the night from a well-deserved Saturday night off from work. Before getting into the car, I looked around at all the lights in Boone that were surrounded by the mountains trying to make sense of destiny, the same way I had done hours before at the Linn Cove Viaduct.
Ask anyone and they’ll say a picture is worth 1000 words, but 1000 words wouldn’t do justice for what I feel looking back at the photo of the Linn Cove Viaduct I had taken that evening. Some nights I still wish I was on the way home from that Japanese Steakhouse we found in Boone, thinking of how full my heart was as you slept awaiting for us to be in Charlotte.