PRL Serials

I hate to do this again, but Issue 8 of the PRL Serials is being pushed to the midweek post. I’m just thankful this is free so I don’t have to disappoint paying customers. And whatever loyal followers we’ve managed to this point here at the PRL have come to expect the unexpected and you probably had an inkling this was coming. But this post is not an excuse for a late Issue 8, instead, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my weekend (and the Old Man Young One-Shot is not done, Wes is having trouble picking a first song for his playlist [but I think its obvious that it should be Super GFK from Ghostface Killa’s Big Doe Rehab Album], and I’ve got a bridge to build for Stone Hand).

My mother turned 52 on Friday and I took her out to eat in Monroe. We went to a steakhouse because if you ask me, they’re by far the best restaurants in the city, excepting church fish fries and barbeque plate sales when you can find them. There’s a lot of variety in Monroe, much more than I remember from my time growing up there, but you get punished for being too adventurous and most times the best bang for your buck is a good steakhouse. My mom likes steak too, so it made sense, and we’ve been to the restaurant countless times before, so we expected not to be disappointed. And, honestly, we weren’t, because even though my mom’s steak was tough and dry (Wes tells me that there is such thing as a tender, well done steak, it doesn’t have to be tree bark), and the fried green tomatoes were mostly salty breading, and the key lime pie was so sweet it made me nauseous, we didn’t complain at all because the night wasn’t about being a foodie, it was about spending time together and showing appreciation. My mom is my biggest inspiration, my hero, for a long time she was the only friend I had, so it meant the world to me that I could even afford to take her to dinner and that I had a working car capable of picking her up to take her out. And she told me that her birthday was very special for her because I took the time out of my life to spend time with her. If I have accomplished anything in my 28 years, I’ve made my mother proud and I can’t ask for anything else.

Also this weekend, my brother Ray and his family made the trip to Monroe and I spent time with them at my dad’s house. We had a good time and for the first time since it was illegal for me to drink, I had a good time in Monroe without getting drunk (I don’t drink often, but it seemed like every time I made the trip in the recent past, I was drinking to be more sociable, and the fact that I haven’t had a drink in months is indicative of the amount of time I’ve spent in Monroe recently). My brother Ray called me earlier to tell me about the conversations that he had this weekend and I’m glad that people helped him to see himself, that he is an inspiration and a good role model for what a twenty-something husband and father of three can be (he was the second friend that I had in my teens and we used to have conversations older than ourselves around the time he made the decision to go to the Navy and I made the decision to go to Columbia).

I won’t lie that there are times when I don’t think I belong in Monroe. I didn’t have it rough as a kid, but I was kind of a loner, and it makes sense that I would end up alienated from my hometown that never understood my ambitions and undermined my desire to go to college to become a writer simply because my height is in NBA range (Wes knows what I’m talking about), but I never let other people define my associations to a place that is as important to me as Monroe is. I could get shot in Monroe and I would still love it because I have memories there, I’ll hate the person who shot me. This weekend reminded me of everything that I have there and I came away knowing in my heart that Monroe will always be mine, no matter where I go or what I do.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons from Max about retuning home and I think I’ll take the time to prepare my own journal, similar to Max’s, before I take off to the beauty of NM. I wonder if I can dig through Monroe’s past, present and future the way Max does Ladoga’s, but I can guarantee you that whatever I come up with, will appear here, in the PRL Serials, for everyone to enjoy. I just have to come up with a cool nickname.

So, Issue 8 will appear on Thursday, August 21, 2014. Come back for all your favorites and we will see you then. Enjoy your week,and yes its too early to be waiting for the weekend. See you Thursday!