ROAD TRIP (Part 4) Epilogue
Read PARTS 1, 2 and 3
Epilogue
So, what happened after that? I packed up. (Friend) heard me moving around and stumbled my way, slurring some crap about how sorry he was that he woke me up. Telling me I needed a good night hug. I gave him a polite Fuck You, packed up my clothes, got in the car and left. When I found a gas station, I filled up, cleaned out the car and plotted my route.
And here's where I made a huge mistake. I wasn't thinking clearly. I had more chemicals pumping through my body than should ever be in one person at one time. So, to counteract the diphenhydramine and the meclizine and the Klon and the doxylamine, I decided to take some caffeine. Lots of caffeine. Like a quad-shot Starbucks cappuccino, three No-Doz, a can of KMX and a bottle of Fuze Blueberry Grape. And a bottle of Mountain Dew ... and a can of Coke at the house before I left. Oh, and those four Excedrin Migraine I took to ease the headache from (friend)'s incessantly booming voice. I ingested somewhere between 1.5g and 2g total, in a very short amount of time, partly because the No-Doz was stronger than I realized.
Within half an hour, I knew something was wrong. Seriously wrong. Pull over, puke. Go one exit, pull over, puke. Buy a box of crackers, eat a couple, puke. This was getting bad. And about this time, the sleeping pills are starting to wear off, so my little heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest. So what did I do? I stopped into McDonald's for a fruit and yogurt parfait and a Mountain Dew. I'd like to say it was hair of the dog, baby, but truth was I was just angry and stupid. In that order.
Well, Ms. One-Track Mind realizes she's got to take her EXR and Lamictal and vitamins or it's just going to get worse. Yes, I puked them up, too. I don't know what I was thinking.
I should take this moment to pimp Hefty HandySaks. According to their Web site, they have 101 on-the-go uses! One of them is being a great puke receptacle. And there are apparently 100 more uses, too. So, yeah, definitely worth the cash.
Anyway, at one point in Kentucky, I run my car from the middle lane of the interstate, across the right lane and the emergency lane and into the grass. Boy, I felt like an idiot. But beyond a couple of honks from other drivers, I was okay. I just knew I couldn't be on the road even long enough to get to Mef's house. So I took the next exit and pulled into Holiday Inn Express. I didn't even feel well enough to get my bags, so I just took my purse and keys and stumbled into the room. It was gorgeous (five frickin' pillows on the bed! That rocks!) ... and I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it if I wasn't there for the sole purpose of bowing to the porcelain god.
I was having cold sweats, but I managed to take a bath and lay down a bit. I think I slept about two hours. I still felt really sick when I woke up, so I showered, wrapped up in the blankets, turned on the TV and vegged out a bit. Paul and Jeremy were the best, offering to pick me up and drive me home. I cut a deal with Jeremy: I'd drive around the block and if I felt well enough, I'd try to make it home. So I drove around the block ... and straight onto the Interstate. I didn't even bother to check out of the room. (Paul took care of that later via phone.)
I made it home around 10 p.m. By that point, Paul had told Mom and Dad I was out of town, but they were cool with it. (However, Mom did ask if things were okay between Paul and me. I think she equated a road trip with Mattie as a sign I was having marital problems. ::grins::) It was nice to have some alone time with hubby. Yes, I already miss Matt, but he's having fun. And I'm recovering from the excitement.
I know I left a lot of blanks in my little travel journal, but it wasn't meant to be a play-by-play. I'm sore as heck today (from all the vomiting, I'd surmise), and my left arm hurts, too. Yes, I know why. Yes, it's a dumb reason. So, now, I sit back and wait for my real life friends to read this and wonder what the heck has gotten into me. Or maybe what the heck I've gotten myself into. Or maybe neither, or both. We'll see.
Comments are good, especially since I spent all my free time typing this up. Other than the whole caffeine incident, I don't think I handled things poorly, but I'm open to thoughts and reactions. Much love and peace.
P.S. He's got my spirit bears. I've got his rose quartz necklace AND his airtight transport jar AND all his incense from home. Did I come out on top or what?
posted by Kate at 9:40 PM
Copyright 2001-2009, L.K.C.S. It's MINE, all MINE. If you wanna use it, gimme credit and a link, okies? And don't run with scissors, because you're just going to poke somebody's eye out with that thing. No, really. 
2 Comments:
Wow, what a weekend you had.
I'm probably out of line here, but friends don't hit each other. Getting trashed and smacking folks around ain't cool.
In the words of Rev. Lon Solomon, "Not a serom, just a thought." Check out this link for the very funny details. This guy runs a megachurch in a fancy part of town and broadcasts these little items on ALL the radio stations. He always ends with "Not a sermon, just a thought."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7933-2004Jun26.html
I'd love to do some mock ones that state the obvious and finish the same way. For example: "It's a bad idea to wash your genitals with battery acid. Not a sermon, just a thought."
"Comments are good, especially since I spent all my free time typing this up. Other than the whole caffeine incident, I don't think I handled things poorly, but I'm open to thoughts and reactions."
OK. After letting it all soak in for a day or more and rereading it a time or two, we can begin.
Reactions: Wow. Um, wow!
Thoughts: I agree with smacky on the whole hitting thing. I understand the guy has problems, but if the problems manifest themselves through violence, then I don't care how much he didn't mean too or how much he didn't remember doing it or how much it wasn't really him at the time, that kind of thing can redraw the lines of friendship.
To me it doesn't sound like you handle anything poorly. I can see where the whole caffeine incident was an accident that occurred because of lack of sleep and poor judgment due to stress. I've been there, I've done crap like that too, but it seems that over the past few weeks stuff like this has been happening to you more and more often where Matt is concerned.
Before he showed up I told you that I thought you should take care of you first. I know, this is easier said than done, but as I have a few decades on you I can honestly say that it has always been my experience that when two people needing help try to help each other, the one person needing the most help inevitably ends up hurting the other. If you really want to help others, it is so much better to attempt it from place where you are OK and THEN help them get there as well. Now I'm not saying that you two haven't helped each other. I'm sure you have. You have posted a lot of good things and I'm sure there are a lot of other good things that you didn't share with us. But for someone who is trying to help you, it certainly seems like for the past few weeks you have periodically been put through trials and time of sleepless worry and crying jags and being hit and all sorts of negativity that you simply do not need.
So now here we are. I know that last weekend you were hoping, wanting, wishing, expecting a really nice roadtrip weekend getaway. I know you had your worries, but did they ever include what really happened? It sounds like last weekend was about as far as you could get from that perfect weekend you posted about only one month ago. This time you got a stress fest that ended in you being violently ill. I know, I know, that was because of a stupid mistake. But that was a stupid mistake you probably would not have made if you weren't put in that position in the first place! Kate and Matt. Sounds good on paper, but up till now it seems to leave Kate tired, stressed and sore from vomiting. And where is Matt? Passed out somewhere? Drinking till he blacks out? Hitting his friends?
You are one of my best Internet friends Kate. I love and care for you deeply, so I feel the need to express some tough love here. I think its great that you want to help your friend and that you try. Considering your background before he came to stay with you, you are a saint and more people should be so caring. But I have to express my belief that you can't help him the way he needs to be helped. I admire your trying but I believe it is a detriment to you and your well being.
Not a sermon, just a... OK, it's a sermon.
M
P.S. I was going to e-mail this to you but decided to post the comment for I believe I may not be the only one who feels this way and hope to get some back up on this position.
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