When we last left our hero, she was battling a dehydration headache and the post-fair traffic out of town…
I’d planned a few hours of dead time between the fair and when I needed to leave for Cincinnati, hoping to run a few errands before heading out of town. Instead of being productive, though, I used the time to recuperate—lying in the middle of my floor and drinking Gatorade until I felt almost back to normal. Took a shower, threw a few things in a bag, and eventually headed out on the road. Theo called me just as I was leaving Louisville and we planned to meet up at a gas station off of 71. As we tried to figure out something to do in Cincinnati, I realized I was under-dressed for pretty much everything he suggested. So, I changed clothes. In the car. While driving. On the highway. I was feeling pretty smug that the laundry basket of clothes rolling around in my backseat for a week had come in handy, and also that I’d managed to take off one pair of pants and put on another while pushing 75mph and not killing myself. Nevertheless, despite my adrenaline-filled wardrobe change, I started to hit a wall at around 9:30. A metaphoric wall of tiredness, that is, not a pylon. I arrived safely at the gas station, but Theo was still going to be a few minutes at the reception, so I parked, downed 2 double-shot Starbucks espresso cans and waited, refusing to let the exhaustion set in.
Not too long after I’d parked, Theo was freed from the Mormon wedding reception and we planned to meet up at RP McMurphys Irish Pub and Coffee Bar. After several wrong turns, and near misses I finally passed RP McMurphys Irish Pub and Coffee Bar and found a place to park not far from it. Theo and his cousin RJ (no relation to RP) arrived soon after and then the three of us got drinks and watched Michael Phelps receive his 8th gold medal. Of RP McMurphys Irish Pub and Coffee Bar, I should say it was not just an awkward name, but a bit of a misnomer as well. Theo had sold us a tale of acoustic guitar and Bailey’s, but what we got was a 3 piece Weezer-Third Eye Blind medley (swear to God) cover band and Coronas. Even though I’d risked my life to dress for the former, I was much happier that RP McMurphys Irish Pub and Coffee Bar turned out to be the latter.
About an hour after Theo, RJ, and I arrived, Theo’s other cousin Laura and her new husband Brett showed up. Laura and Brett are Mormon, and one half of the double Mormon wedding reception they were all at earlier in the evening. Laura and Brett got married a week earlier in Utah, and Laura’s sister (Theo’s other other cousin) was married early that day. They’d thrown together the double wedding reception for the Buckeyes who couldn’t make it to Utah for Laura’s wedding. Laura’s just-married sister didn’t show, but no one expected her to. I don’t know a whole lot about the Mormon faith, but I’d wager she had other things on her mind that night.
RJ was really cool, I was a cheap drunk, and Laura was totally crazy, in a sweet, amusing, and Mormons-don’t-drink kind of way—we all had a great time. After RP McMurphys Irish Pub and Coffee Bar, Laura drove us to Skyline and Theo and I had our first vegetarian 3-way. Heh. For the uninitiated, Skyline is a Cincinnati institution—a chili joint—and a 3-way is noodles, chili, and cheese. I’d never had the vegetarian version (it’s rice and beans instead of ground beef) but I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, I was a little tipsy and overwhelmed at the time, but I seem to remember enjoying it.
Laura and Brett went home to their wedded bliss, we drove RJ back to his motel room, and then Theo and I tracked down an IHOP. I’d been up nearly 24 hours by this point, and I’m sure my contribution to the conversation left something to be desired, but it was great just to see Theo and to hear his crazy roommate stories in person. I got to see his sick pictures from the prison boot-camp—they really are incredible—and we talked until almost 5am. Afterwards, I zombie-drove to Rania’s apartment in Newport—she was kind enough to lend me her key and let me crash there for the night—and passed out almost instantly. When I woke up, I remembered all these things I’d wanted to tell Theo the night before and was bummed that the visit had to be so short. Nevertheless, the second 12 hours of my Saturday were considerably better than the first and it was so great to see Theo. And now that he’s had a taste of Skyline, I’m sure he’ll be back soon.