|
Packing at the last minute with my last twenty dollars starts with the essentials:
sellable goods.
This trip also afforded me the opportunity to freak out my
girlfriend by unceremoniously packing about a dozen or so socks (not
pairs of socks, but unmatched socks) and dropping them into my open
bag. I could see she was visibly shaken for a second, because
she had just seen me unpack from my
April trip to
Columbus mere moments earlier by dumping out all the shirts,
newspapers and hotel soaps from that trip onto my bedroom floor.
It's like
Chris Chappell always says, "I believe people need a bit of
adversity in their life."
. |
The Gangs All Here:
Retajczyks, Mazurs and Schliefkes Unite
(Yes fine readers, Schliefke isn't the worst surname
I could have ended up with, Retajczyk is NOT a typo.)
|
My brother and sister
picked me up at the airport, and while waiting for my bags, warned
me that I was heading to a family party. I'm sure everyone's
family is special and weirdly insane in their own way, but their
must be something in the kielbasa that seems to set the Retajczyk
clan apart from most other families. Laughter is perhaps the
most obvious element at family gatherings after the copious amounts
of food that are always on hand.
I found myself spinning through a series of handshakes, hugs and
kisses and surprised looks. I made some casual grabs at
appetizers whenever the opportunity afforded itself, and soon was
sipping a beer next to my margarita drinking mom.
Yes, times in Schenectady with the family are that WILD.
It was a good start to the week - seeing everyone, feeling
relieved my grandfather was doing better, and bundling up to fight
the unseasonably cold (even for upstate New York) 50 degree drizzly
temps and dark clouds that hung throughout the miserable grey skies.
And so as I caught up with relatives, started gorging myself on
food, and the festivities, as they usually do around my family, soon
were wound around the dinner table - the remnants of food strewn
about, empty plates, full cups of coffee, and the conversation
roaring. Of course, I found myself tucked away at a makeshift
table in the adjoining room, cleaning my plate alongside my siblings
and cousins, apparently, the children's table will never be in my
rear view mirror.
The trip got off to a good start, and the next day I'd be
visiting Grandpa, and already, my aunt and uncle were plotting
locations for me to eat hot dogs, drink and be merry. I could
tell it was going to be a very tough week.
Continue the story... |
