Chai Latte

Well, I remember my first Thanksgiving break home from my freshman year of college. That would have been two years ago. I was in a complicated thing with this guy from home - my ex-boyfriend - but it was before we were back to dating again. My grandparents were in town and I don’t have a great relationship with them and I really needed to get away, so he came and picked me up.

We basically drove down Beltline (the street that we’re on now), eventually hitting Preston and going to Alpha and finding the Half-Priced Books that’s there and going in and we just wandered around there, talking about books, skirting the fact that we still were still in love with each other, but didn’t want to admit it. Then we drove in circles around the center and then up and down Beltline, getting caught at all the lights (because there are so many lights on Beltline!)

It was ridiculous, trying to find out what we were gonna do and I asked him just to try. I really wanted him at that time to just take me away. The Toll Way was right there, and you could just drive. Preston goes to Oklahoma! You can just go to Oklahoma! There are so many options! We didn’t. He was, like, “I need to get you home. Your parents want you home. Your grandparents are here and you need to go see them even though I know that you’re out here avoiding them.” 

I dunno, now that my grandmother is actually really sick, I’m glad for things like that. That other people would make me realize that, however upset I would get at them, they’re not going to be alive much longer. I should spend more time with them. But, I’m also glad I didn’t run away with him. That never would have actually happened. In retrospect, there are a lot of things I didn’t realize at the time, but it’s weird how roads, like Beltline, can conjure up random things like that.

-Erin, Dunn Bros. Coffee