The road to Houston

At some point in the last few months, Sib got restless. Working at 7-11 and living in a big California city started to bore him, and he and I started discussing potential regions of the country he could visit to break the cycle. I recommended that he take an extended road trip across the country to see the U.S. from eye level and get a sense of where he wanted to be. After deliberating for a few weeks, he decided to skip the trial period entirely and move to Houston to work in a Thai restaurant.

I tried to explain the differences in culture and climate between California and Texas to him, but I'm not sure he completely absorbed it all. Like anybody who grew up watching American movies, he was familiar with (and actually seemed to admire) the concept of a cowboy, but I feared this wasn't enough to prepare him. In the days before he left, he kept saying, "I'm going to Houston," as if the next time he said it would magically transport him there.

He left on a Tuesday morning, with his black Audi full of the few things he owned, snacks for the trip, and a U.S. highway atlas which I had carefully highlighted for him the night before. He decided to take I-80 to Denver, then I-70 to Kansas and south to Texas. The path was simple, and I told him it would take three days.

Somewhere in Kansas, he decided he really wasn't so bored of California after all, and did a U-turn. Luckily, he decided to stop in a small town diner, where he was immediately greeted by the typical Midwestern hospitality. They gathered around him and excitedly asked questions about where he was from and where he was going. They offered him food and driving advice, and generally restored his faith in humanity. He got back on the interstate and continued to Texas.

He's been there for almost two weeks now, and he's ready to come back. He calls me every night complaining about the hot weather, the rain, the crazy drivers, and asking about how life in California is without him. I'm guessing it will be mere days until he gets in the car and starts driving back. And then we can continue our Thai food and racquetball traditions.