When Stephanie and I planned to go to the Amigos de K’eckhi conference, we thought Vincent would be off with his father in Ohio for their (more recently) usual week or two of the summer together. Pastor Jane had actually inquired about Vincent going to the conference, perhaps plowing ahead with an idea someone got that we might leave Vincent there for a summer. When, of course, he had been on the church mission trip last summer. But Vincent fell behind with his library volunteer work. As of the end of last week, he still had 2 of his 20 hours to volunteer. I figured Vincent could participate in some of the conference (especially the meals and more social parts of the conference). But I wasn’t going to try to get him to sit through the meetings and workshops. So, I went ahead and registered him for the conference and all of the meals except for lunch, and I started planning on his behalf. Some of what I came up with I went ahead and mentioned to him; another part I held in reserve to see if he behaved.
When we arrived at the church – as I’ve mentioned – a great Latino meal – like fajitas – awaited us. We had had no lunch and we bought a lot of snacks along the way, which made us less hungry. Vincent was OK with the dinner. He sat through most of the introductions – including saying his name, church, and town – but ironically grew antsy while Stephanie and Soni were introducing Crescent Hill.
Finally, after the introductions and a little after Tracey King, a mission worker in Nicaragua partly responsible for Guatemala church relations Vincent and I left. I had brought Vincent dark clothes to play laser tag. An acquaintance from the interfaith religious organization of which I’m going to a meeting in Chicago next week (she works for the Methodists in Nashville) had suggested a tag place called Laser Quest, which turned out to be downtown (to reach this person, I had to sign up for FaceBook, since I couldn’t find an e-mail address for her and I correctly predicted that she had a FaceBook account.) I had asked Susan, our hostess, for directions. She sent me near her house and then she had me take a right towards Nashville. Vincent and I inadvertently got a tour of various Nashville hot spots. We drove by Vanderbilt University and an entertainment area there. Then we drove through downtown (including past a big store associated with LifeWays, a Southern Baptist offshoot that includes a research organization and tried and so far failed to attract to the Chicago meeting for our congregational survey.) After we passed the downtown arena where the National Hockey League Nashville Predators play, we drove through a very big entertainment area, which Laser Quest was at the far end of. At 8:45 p.m. the streets were already starting to get crowded. I wanted to go in with Vincent to check it out, and so I eventually had to double park across the street. Country music filled the air, and we drove past a guest singing a Karaoke version of “Wanted Dead or Alive.” The Laser Quest place was on the second floor of a cool old building. The inside reminded me more of the Family Adventure place in my old Louisville neighborhood of Phoenix Hill (inserted into what must be an old factory). I left Vincent and returned to the church, past more revelers. (Just past the Quest streets (2nd and 1st streets) was a river and after that the stadium where the Tennessee Titans NFL team plays.)
After we stopped at Susan and Barry’s, unloaded our stuff, and chatted with them and their son (who was just returning from the Sounds game, apparently near downtown). Their son had left the game early (missing the fireworks) after several extra innings. Vincent had played three games and had been waiting. When I arrived, I heard what I think was fireworks, and so the extra-innings game must have been ending. When Vincent linked up with me, I told him we could have asked the son to pick him up, but he said being picked up by a teenager younger than him (16) (and with a job – Vincent didn’t mention this) with a driver’s license would be too humiliating. Vincent and I drove back through the now more crowded 11:30 p.m. streets and back home.
(Vincent said that laser tag at Nashville’s Laser Quest (part of a national chain) was set up differently than Laser Blaze in Louisville (and so there are differences other than just location; you might recall from “Graeter’s/Laser Blaze” that Blaze is located in the aging old Sears suburban shopping center in St. Matthews, not in 4th Street Live or on Bardstown Road – the equivalent of where Quest is in Nashville. Vincent said players have only 1 second – instead of the interminable 4 seconds at Blaze, which I dislike – to recover after they get killed, and so they must move quickly or otherwise other players can simply wait (for a second) and kill them again (and so he got even more exercise than usual). He said he got one 3rd and two 8ths, out of like 30 or 40 players – not as good as in Louisville/St. Matthews – but not bad for his first attempt. He said he didn’t prefer either Quest or Blaze – they were just “different.” We also reminisced that he had played laser tag once before moving to Louisville, at an entertainment center in Tallahassee for neighbor Julian’s birthday. Back in Nashville, I think he said he took a break at some point and played video games.)
The next day Vincent got up at 6:15 a.m. with us and we went to breakfast and morning worship at the church. Breakfast was not as stupendous as lunch and I let Vincent leave worship early because Susan said she had been to the Davis and Bacon bookstore at a nearby mall before 10 a.m. Apparently the store opened earlier than the mall. I had investigated a newer mall with an IMAX theater and a fancy video arcade – plus a Barnes and Noble bookstore – but eventually Laura (the Chicago meeting person) and Susan persuaded me that this mall (Opry Mills – Ida from work had endorsed it too) was too far away, especially since there was a high-end mall (Green Hills) very nearby the church –with a locally owned regional chain bookstore and a movie theater. Vincent and drove up, checked to see when “X Files: I Want to Believe” first began at the theater (at 11 a.m.), noted the restaurants around, and went in with him to the bookstore, already open at 9:15 a.m. I also noted that the bookstore had a café.
Vincent had brought some library books with him and he took one with him into the bookstore. He ended up not going to the movie or out to eat. He finished his book, had a lunch of meat loaf and succotash in the bookstore café, and then read Japanese manga comic book books in the afternoon. I stayed around to the bitter end of Saturday afternoon’s meeting, even though I felt terrible. But I ended up driving home and Susan and Stephanie picked Vincent up (so I didn’t get a picture of the bookstore). Vincent, Stephanie, and Susan – you’ll recall – went on to a fun Tennessee barbeque dinner/party. As with the Latino dinner Friday night, Vincent had to confess that dinner was good. He said he mainly had ribs. As I wrote before, I don’t think he joined in the singing. Even though Vincent missed most of the more serious business and substance, he got in a lot of the socializing – and the food! – of the conference.
Sunday morning we got up early (before 6 a.m.) to try to caravan home with Soni, Martha, and Pastor Jane, to try to make it to worship in our church in which Vincent was to participate.
-- Perry
Vincent had brought some library books with him and he took one with him into the bookstore. He ended up not going to the movie or out to eat. He finished his book, had a lunch of meat loaf and succotash in the bookstore café, and then read Japanese manga comic book books in the afternoon. I stayed around to the bitter end of Saturday afternoon’s meeting, even though I felt terrible. But I ended up driving home and Susan and Stephanie picked Vincent up (so I didn’t get a picture of the bookstore). Vincent, Stephanie, and Susan – you’ll recall – went on to a fun Tennessee barbeque dinner/party. As with the Latino dinner Friday night, Vincent had to confess that dinner was good. He said he mainly had ribs. As I wrote before, I don’t think he joined in the singing. Even though Vincent missed most of the more serious business and substance, he got in a lot of the socializing – and the food! – of the conference.
Sunday morning we got up early (before 6 a.m.) to try to caravan home with Soni, Martha, and Pastor Jane, to try to make it to worship in our church in which Vincent was to participate.
-- Perry
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