A brief glimpse into the undertakings that engrossed me today would reveal amongst other things:
A Richard Branson look-alike.
32 ounces of juicy steak.
A night of a thousand laughs.
A car with a billion stars.
And tearless farewells.
Today we completed our week-long volunteering service with the marvelous Samaritan Inn, McKinney. But not before final last minute brush-up's to the things that kept us remarkably engaged but unruffled these past few days. With eyes glowing brightly from laptop screens, a tale of ten errant souls, that began with much uncertainty and ignorance and compromise, ended like a godlike carnival. Indeed, the invaluable wisdom we now take back with us would last an entire lifetime.
At 4pm, Our dance workout session involved a bunch of jittery people sweating it out in a tightly crammed space. Drunken, only, with endorphins and euphoria and the sweet heady voice of Beyoncé from makeshift speakers, calories were shed as hearts were warmed.
When it was all said and done, hugs and farewell's went around as we observed the inevitable wilting of a beautiful experience with our best renditions of poker faces. It was easy to pretend that we had not each left behind, slices of our souls in this place of unblemished hope. However, in tiny corners of our hearts, seeds were planted, waiting to sprout in Spring.
On a lighter note, this recap would be a pallid waste of words if I fail to mention our gubernatorial-style round-table dinner at the renowned Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Dallas. Our host was as gracious and as charismatic as they come. He may have looked a bit like Sir Richard Branson, too, if you tilted your head the right way. Dinner was nothing short of a feast. As tasty shrimps paved the way for an assortment of salads, which in turn gave heft to a battery of balmy, dripping slabs of pure Texan steak. Each slab, a coronary on a platter. The kind that easily brought tears to one's eyes. While I yet breathe, I witnessed, with trepidation, the chowing of over thirty-two ounces of steak by a very good friend. A feat performed with the meticulous candor of a surgeon, but the agility of a wasp. He speedily consumed this almost-whole-cow steak without batting an eyelid. Over ten attendants - each one trying desperately to outdo another - swooped in to advertise an array of sides, from brussels sprouts that I swear were harvested from the Garden of Eden directly, to an otherworldly lobster mac and cheese highlight. An eye-massaging fleet of desserts, each one looking like a playground of sweets and colors, followed the main course.
The night was crowned with smooth swigs of the mildly caffeined Del's Delight. The content of which escape me now, but the after-taste shall outlast its memory. With grace, our host, a Mizzou Alum, entertained a plethora of questions. Seeing in us a zest for conquest and accomplishment, similar to the type he brandished many many decades ago.
When our bellies and consciences could hold no more, we left to gaze in awe at his 100th edition Rolls Royce that slighted. Crouching nearby, It's rooftop glittered with a million tiny lights like stars.
Finally, in our little apartment, the night ended with fond memories and thoughts and laughter. Tomorrow we return to our various abodes a lot better than we were when we ventured 500+ miles South in search of a world to conquer, but instead found ourselves.
Adieu.
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