Family Business: Part II

     Saturday a fairly chill day for us. We all slept in, and Monteil and I weren't feelin too hot; and I grumpy gills for most of the day because Monteil had broken my camera. Perfect! So we went into Manhattan and walked around the Financial District more and went to see Ground Zero. That was on Monteil's Must-See List, so we fit that in, and then we were able to talk my mom into making dinner. It's been a while since I've had a homecooked meal--probably since about February when she came to visit me when I had wrist surgery. So anytime I can get my mom to cook, then I'm pleased. 

Because we'd played it cool Saturday, we had to make the most of the Sunday. It was also their last full day in the city, so we got up early and I made pancakes! Then we made the long trek up to Harlem. Also on Monteil's Must-See List was Rucker Park, which wasn't far from Yankee Stadium, so we were able to see both of those. Then we headed back about 40 blocks and stopped at Harlem Tavern to have a few drinks and relax. We then walked around that area a bit and saw the Apollo Theater before heading back downtown. We saw the big flagship Macy's Store, and the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden and all of that.

 

    After that, we walked around West Village and stopped at some little cafe where I finally filled with my soul with some long-sought after delicious guacamole! Oh, my little heart was so content. After walking around for a few more hours, we headed home to Brooklyn, changed, and then back into Manhattan for dinner. Standard night. 

   By the end of the night, I was DEAD tired. I'm not used to being nearly as active as I had been in those few days, and I was ready to sleep and get back to the normal work grind. So I passed out as soon as we got back to my place.
   The next morning, I slept while they prepared for the travels back to DeKalb. Hah, I can't say that I was terribly sad to see them go. Perhaps because I'm well-accustomed to the goodbyes by now, or perhaps because I was overdue for some quiet Janai Time. Either way, I had a blast while they were here. My brother actually warmed my heart a couple times during the visit. And by that, I basically mean that he complimented me, which isn't exactly his norm. At one point, he was like, "I don't know how you just moved here without knowing anyone or anything," and by that I know he was at the very least, slightly impressed with how I'd adjusted to life in New York City. And the second time came at dinner, I started this little self-absorbed game I like to play sometimes when out of nowhere I'll just ask someone to name their 3 favorite things about me. I generally get really sarcastic, insulting responses. My mom decided that she wasn't going to play because I was getting on her nerves, and Monteil said, "your mental strength; it amazes me." 
    To be quite frank, I've done some downright dumb shit in my 22 years, and I've had some moments when I disappointed a lot of people. But at the same time, I've done and am doing some pretty awesome things, and it feels good being on the opposite end of that spectrum, knowing that I'm making at least a few people proud--especially when it's these two.