We are at the Middletown Starbucks, working on stuff for Patch. The regular crowd is coming in. At least, they seem to be regulars--they respond to one another by name.
They may think they have left their mark on this place, because they're here all the time. But, they're wrong. We were the first ones in this Starbucks, over two hours ago.
The New Monmouth Diner wasn't open yet so we grabbed a couple coffees, sat down and killed some time before 6 a.m. We talked a lot throughout the night, about life, about the past, about the things that come out with ease during an "Addy All Nighter."
We talked about South Korea. We talked about going.
Amanda agreed to get on board for the August intake instead of the next one, in February 2012. She said she has been spinning her wheels. Whether we left in August or February--what were we waiting for?
It has me excited. Not only because, well, I'm going back. We're going. Amanda and I. A team, but also, our own entities, with our own stories to be written. We've decided to go to Busan. Amanda said she likes the idea of having a little bit of pre-knowledge from my experience. It's a big city. So long as we don't end up assigned to apartments in Deokcheon, it can be a wholly new experience for me, as well.
There was a time where it didn't seem possible that I could experience this with someone else from this part of my world. I was greedy: This is mine, all mine! None of you can have this. None of you have experienced this and so none of you could possibly understand.
But, Amanda is different. I knew that all along. We share a mind in many ways. We have similar interests, similar histories. Not so much as to be like looking in a mirror (though we do sometimes complete each other's sentences on occasion), but pretty darn close. We share what makes us great, what can make us weak, and we both have the power to help soothe the other at our most vulnerable. It's frighteningly symbiotic.
And, we both want to travel. We both want to experience. We both want something more from what this is. We both want to step off this page and write another, one I don't think many people (at least here) were expecting.
We're coming to Korea. Third time's a charm.
