Oh Connecticut, what a random state…

Upon my return from Vermont, Monday night, I was surprised to find out that my Connecticut friends were planning for my three cousins and I to traverse down to Stamford to visit them. This trip included us taking the train down on Tuesday morning, sleeping over, and returning Wednesday night, also by train. Now of course I was all for the idea; god forbid me staying home for anytime longer than necessary in my own home, when break is in session, but my parents did not have the same zest as I did. My mother’s default answer is always no, to anything (and I’m not exaggerating), but after some persuasion and a call from my friends mom, she appraised the situation and was finally lulled into agreeing. All that was left was for my father to also agree, and that takes much more work to do than my mother. There is no buttering up my dad and there is most certainly no flattering that man; not to say my father isn’t a brilliant man, but he likes to be told the exact plan in an extremely laconic way. Any future deriving from that plan would cause my father to deprecate the idea and use his signature excuse of “I don’t see it Christopher.” So trying to avoid that situation, I went over and over every detail with my Connecticut friends until it was permanently burned into my memory.

Sitting down for dinner Tuesday night, I was on my best behavior. Trying not to be so overtly nice, I came down early, helped set the table, and poured him a glass of wine. Being able to read my father like a book, I saw to my demise that he was quite aloof, but that certainly was not going to stop me. I asked him about his day, ate my dinner quickly and slowly asked my father in the most colloquial way possible. Very much like my mother, he immediately terminated the conversation and ceded the decision to my mother. Not so fast, in my household that is worse than a no. It means that my father wasn’t convinced but was not in the mood to argue. Trying to be as suave as possible, I spelled out the syllabus for the two days, not leaving out any minute detail, and had him talk with my friend’s dad. After some consideration (and a back and forth with my mom), he finally agreed as well. I was finally going to see my Connecticut friends after months and months of trying to make this work…and failing.