Day 36: More Than Meets The Eyes

It's hot.

I know, I know. I know exactly what you're thinking. You're in El Paso, Texas, one of the hottest cities on the planet. And you're there in the middle of the summer. Temperatature's around, oh, let's say it left the century mark for a couple of minutes by noon. So, what would a trio of young adults do on a day like this?

We went to the multiplex, naturally.

Bry, Layla, and I went to check out the movie it seems like EVERYBODY's checking out, Transformers. Layla's little brother, Miguel, tagged along because, well, he's a kid and wanted to see robots beat each other down like nobody's business. I had a couple of video files of the original series to get myself ready. He thought the cartoon looked "too old." It was before my time. I am only 18. The cartoon was almost over about the time we were born. Moma was a fan though.

Bry sat next to Layla, and just before I sat next to her, Miguel ran and sat right next to her. He told me that I wasn't as cool as Bry (if he knew the truth). I wasn't trying to impress a nine-year-old, so, I didn't argue. I just wanted to enjoy the movie.

By the time it was over, the whole audience was pumped, almost as if they wanted more or something. I've never seen anything like that on the movie screen. I don't think we live in an age where fully sentient robots exist, but science is coming mighty close. But that's comic book stuff at best.

I never realized Layla was just as big a geek about things like Transformers as Bry and I were. Though he enjoyed the movie (we bought him one of those frellin' huge Optimus Primes), Miguel looked at me and said "Geeks must've wrote this movie, 'cause they don't usually get the girl in real life." Bry heard that and basically defended me.

"Well," he said, "geeks rule the world. I'm a mechanical geek. Quen's a science geek. Our dad's a nature geek, and he married a supermodel surfer. So, geeks do get the girl in the real world."

"And sometimes the geeks ARE the girl," Layla surprisingly told her little brother.

"You should know, Layla," Miguel told her. "you used to spend all that time at the university in the chem labs."

You should have seen the look Layla darted at Miguel before she chased him around the parking lot. Oh, need I remind you again that it was still over 100 degrees here? Layla explained that she was a chemistry major and interned at Laudertech Florida a year or so ago.

It's funny. She was just a total stranger earlier in the week, but now, it seems like we've known Layla forever. Which is why Bry and I decided to ask her if she wanted to leave with us in the morning before we ate dinner. She said yes, and, our roadtrip gets a third rider.

And a cute one at that.

We're heading north to Denver because I told Bryton I wanted to go there. Next stop (and the next time I'll talk to you) is this lodge. Wonder how the weather would be up there.

Until next time, mahalo and latahz.

- Quen