By Spring 1982, I had worked at Mr. G's Pizza for more than two years, and the best times there were behind me. We would sometimes have to close early because we had run out of pepperoni, and most horrifically for a pizza restaurant, cheese. Mr. G's had a loyal clientele and staff until its financial woes.
Mike and I had worked together for more than a year and he gave notice because our paychecks had occasionally begun to bounce. Since we were paid early in the week, I would wait until Friday night and endorse mine and cash it with the till, but this was unacceptable to Mike, and I couldn't talk him into staying. As Mike's last day approached, I decided that that evening would be my last as well. Matt had been working there about six months and made the same decision, and we all left together at 9 pm. Mr. G's Pizza remained open another month before permanently closing.
Shortly afterward, Mike, Arlene, Matt, Dawn and I took an unforgettable three-day, 800-mile trip around much of Florida. Mike drove Arlene's mom's car and our only expenses were gas, a few meals and a Disney ticket. We each spent less than a hundred dollars and had the time of our lives.
We stayed at my Grammy's house in central Florida, and we drove there first. It was my first visit since my Gramps had passed away the year before, and the first time I brought friends. Grammy was always happy to see me and welcomed whomever I brought by for another twenty years. I did my best to visit as often as I could, at least once a year. I saw Grammy more often as an adult because my family lived so far away from my grandparents when I was younger.
We arrived early in the afternoon and ate lunch and took a boat ride in the lake in Grammy's back yard, and we all posed with Grammy for a photo on her dock.
Grammy gave up her bedroom for two nights to the girls and the guys slept in the living room. The next day, we drove to Orlando and spent the day in Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
The "G" Musketeers at lunch....
We rode the Disney train.
We had a drink at the top of the Contemporary Hotel.
We had our photo taken with Mickey Mouse.
Matt took this photo of us on the boat at sunset coming back from the Magic Kingdom.
We drove back to Grammy's house and arrived very late, but she was up and waiting for us and offered us a late dinner.
Grammy's story is told in My Grandmother's Pennies.
The next morning, we said our goodbyes and we headed home to Tallahassee -- the long way.
We traveled to Daytona and drove on the beach and swam in the ocean.
We drove to St. Augustine and took a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city.
We left St. Augustine in the early evening and stopped for dinner on the way home.
I have been on many road trips, but this was my first big one, and it remains one of my very favorites.
Lifetime memories.... Good times, great friends -- thanks, all!
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