Houston Arrival

As I drove down I-10, the city came into view and I felt my stomach sink. I passed my old exit, Chimney Rock road and I thought of life here five years ago. Houston leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I moved here in August of 2005 following my college boyfriend. I knew I didn’t want to stay; it was a stopover on my journey. I wanted to move back to the northeast. I had no desire to live in this city with its huge highways and huge billboards for darque tan, breast enhancement and lipo suction. I wanted to live where it was ok to be naturally you, where it’s ok to grow old with wrinkles, where thrifty is cool and there’s no need for such excess and materialism.

Well, I stayed in Houston for another year until I moved to Martha’s Vineyard at the end of January, 2007. Once there, it felt like the right place to be. Sure there are big homes and excess there too, but there is also a really great community of caring and environmentally sustainable people. My ex was going to move to the island. He gave his two weeks’ notice to his job in Houston, and they offered him a promotion, he stayed. There was a fleeting moment I considered moving back to this god forsaken city, but it passed and I stayed on MV. We tried the long distance thing. I flew down to Houston, he flew to the Vineyard a few times but when I visited him for Labor Day weekend 2007 our relationship finally ended. He never admitted it, maybe because it’s not true, but I think he had started dating someone else in Houston. He’s married now, and their wedding web page says they met in May of 2007. Hmm? Oh well, I don’t think it would have ever really worked anyway; I think I loved his family more than I loved him. I’m a little hesitant to put my heart on the line now, but aren’t we all? I’m sure my prince will come. He will find me. He will find me and be ready for the adventure!

Within six months of being on the Vineyard, my best friend moved to Houston. Crap, now I’m back in New England and the person I like to hang out with the most is in Houston. I think that may have been why I had that fleeting thought of moving back here. She’s still here though and that’s probably the only reason why I would ever visit Houston. There are a few things I’m looking forward to in Houston though, visiting the Arboretum where I worked, the bats under Waugh Bridge and pitchers of margaritas at Fajita Flats; I hope they’re still open! I’ll be here for about a week and then will keep on heading west.