Vivian and I had an absolutely wonderful day together. The rein held off and we scootered downtown for burgers, root beer, and a game of Sleeping Queens. The waitress greeted us warmly and with recognition, saying "can I bring you a root beer?" There's an Oktoberfest thing going on and the staff were all in getups, and the place felt festive even with the clouds and damp. Vivian won one hand and I won another, and the burgers were as excellent as ever. She always gets a cheeseburger with extra pickles and I do too, with grilled onions as well. Vivian and the waitress chatted while she swiped the card for the tab. The waitress out an Oreo in a to-go bag for her and said "see you soon" as we left.
We unlocked our scooters before going to the Pinball Museum where she fell in love with the Lord of the Rings game. We cheered each other on, and when I unlocked the multiball, she practically danced in delight.
She and Nic talked a bit. There were some challenges going on, and there was no way to get to the machines in the challenge, and honestly we aren't good enough to get a high score, so she asked about the swag that was being put out for challenge prizes and if it's available just to buy. It is, but he said he can probably put some more challenges together, and they talked about which games she likes best. She also noted that the older Star Trek machine is still down, and everyone agreed that this is sad. As we left, Nic waved and said "See you Monday." It's nice to have our favorite places again.
Before we left for the gym, she headed over to visit the Fast and Furious Bike game at the Starcade, where she tore it up on the Detroit level and at one point had her motorcycle on top of a moving train. We scootered back to the gym lot and stowed the scooters in the Jeep. It started to rain again a wee tiny bit and she made a big production of having her umbrella and being all ready for it. She's a ham and I love every second of it.
We played racquetball for a bit before swimming, and she chose to go into the lap pool, where she managed to do a full length without stopping. Wow. She's just so impressive. We got out and showered to go to the play, and she was ravenous, so I fetched a couple snacks that she ate on the short walk over to the Jefferson Center. As we came up to the main entrance, she started telling me about all the things we had seen here before—Charlotte's Web, and La Boheme, and a concert that she went to on a field trip.
We loved the play. Just loved it. She sat curled up next to me, laughing often, talking about the story, and generally digging everything. Her favorite character was Gomez, same as mine, and it wasn't just because of his magnificent purple suit, but we are convinced that we each need one.
The play ended just at pickup time, so we hoofed it back to the parking lot. She was a bit worn out—definitely ready for dinner and an early bedtime—but happy and relaxed, as am I.
I was back home before they had gone through the traffic light beside the gym. I've had an apple, and the kettle is on.
Apparently it rained more while we were at the play, and will again soon. The overcast day suits me perfectly.
Happy Saturday.
