Part 6: A Perfect Day

We had some days off for Thanksgiving and we thought about what we could do. We thought about just spending sometime downtown and hanging out, but I wanted to show the girls something new. It dawned on me. Garner State Park. Garner State Park had been something of a tradition for me. Growing up we would always go for the November holiday, me and friends to camp and hangout. I had met lifelong friends there, like Matt. I had gone 7 years in a row. The last couple years I had slacked, going off and on. It was a beautiful place, with the river and hills right there all around you. The weather was cool during the day, and the chilly at night. The hill country would be colder so, it was perfect for a day trip. I didn’t want to take my car, so I needed a way of getting us there. Leti said she would take us, but at the last minute decided she couldn’t. I was desperate. I asked Henry if he wanted to go, and he said yes. But he wanted to take his scooter with him. How were we going to get a scooter there? He owns a Jeep Cherokee? He pulled some strings and borrowed his dad’s truck. We loaded the Scooter, tied it down and picked up the girls. The day was beautiful, sun shining, cool breeze, it looked to be a nice day in the country. We drove to Garner (about an hour away), Gaby and I in the back bench seat of the truck. She fell asleep in my arms. I remembered the lyrics of Enjoy the Silence. “All I ever wanted, All I ever needed, is here, in my arms.” I felt that way. I was incredibly happy. I was on my way to Garner. The place that meant so much to me, with a girl, that meant even more. I wanted to show her the park, the places we would hike, the places we would sit under the cypress trees and talk for hours. I knew some friends would be there (like they always are) and I wanted them to meet her. I wanted to show her how to skip rocks, I wanted to show her the rope we used to swing off of. I wanted her to see everything.

We got to the park and unloaded the scooter. They met some of the friends there, some I even caught up with. We made our way down to the river and walked along the trail. I showed them where I used to go swimming, the boulder where I liked to lay on. The memories just flooded through me. I showed them the pavilion, the place where a friend threw a wooden post/sign in the river. Where a old friend climbed on the roof. We walked over to the dam area and sat out on the rocks. Henry was riding on his scooter and left us there. I showed them how to skip rocks, and Gaby and I wrestled and flirted galore. We ate lunch under the cypress trees along the river, and relaxed in the grass. It was the most beautiful day Gaby and I spent together. I never wanted it to end. We got to talk and be around each other so much that day, it all seemed surreal. She didn’t want to leave either, she wanted to stay and hike some more and sit around the campfire. We stayed until the sun was going down, and then we knew we had to go. We tried to plan to come back the next day, but it was futile. That one day would not turn into two. The sunset, the cool air, the thoughts on my mind, they couldn’t be extended or duplicated. But we had that day. That perfect day. I can’t describe it any better then that.