Mab of Dream

I think I'll remember that final bit of the journey as long as I live - Stephane driving me through Vegas, telling me that Shonna hadn't got a clue what was about to happen, and the realization that we'd pulled it off. All those months of planning and waiting and now it was real. He had been torn between opening the door and letting me walk in with him or the other. He'd gone for the other.

It was their wedding anniversary on October 4th and Shonna thought he'd gone out to get her anniversary present. He had, but it wasn't a gold necklace or a bunch of flowers. LOL

It was simply magical driving through streets which I'd come to know over the next few days - Buffalo, Cheyenne, Gowan, Gilmore. I'd had a minor heart-attack when he'd pulled out into 'on-coming' traffic... except the rest of Vegas agreed with him. I was prepared in advance for sitting in the 'drivers' side as a passenger, but not for being on the opposite side of the road! LMFAO! But otherwise, and completely after the initial OMG!, I started to relax. This was real, it was happening and Shonna hadn't found out in advance.

I'd had a shock when we drove past Goodyear, because I'd thought they were a company local to Wolverhampton, but there they were. Everything else we passed seemed like a land from legend come to life - like Avalon or something. I've heard the Vegas lot canting about Summerlin and suddenly there was a sign saying Summerlin. I don't know if I hadn't entirely thought of these places as real, but it definitely felt like a story-book come to life. Stephane pointed out the Strip in the distance, but it was just a blur of lights, I was so rapt in the moment. Besides, I had no terms of reference for all of this. I hadn't really come to see Vegas per se, I'd come to see Shonna and now to share in the gathering of the Grove. That could have happened in Tipton, if that's where Shonna had lived. I hadn't even looked up Vegas in google. I vaguely remembered the Strip as being the place where Stephane worked and where Shonna used to work, and where Ian said that the hotels were. I was mightily impressed by the sign to Summerlin though. *giggle*

We seemed to get there so fast, though there had been traffic at one bit. Then I was getting out of the car and Stephane was pointing me to where the front door was. This was the other plan and I was to knock on the door and say, 'Happy Anniversary'. I'd planned to bring a piece of ribbon and a card to tie onto me, but forgot.



I slipped through the walkway to the door and, too late, discovered the window. I ran past it but had glimpsed someone inside. Had she seen me? I knocked on the door and stepped back in case she looked out of the window. Stephane signalled to the doorbell. It was on the wall, not the door, so I'd missed it. I rang it. Stephane hung back by the pillar and about 100 years later, Shonna opened the door holding William.



Her face!

Tee hee hee!

Her face!

'Happy Anniversary!' I said and she burst out laughing, just looking at me, then Stephane, then me again, before bursting into tears and reaching out to hug me. I got William's head and got as close into the big bearhug as was possible without crushing him. The baby chose that moment to throw up all over Shonna. LOL

We were somehow in the house and Stephane must have got my bags, because there I was in this beautiful, stunning house, with Shonna completely shocked and me completely in awe of living this moment, and Elen rallying from utter confusion to coming over to introduce herself and show me things. You could tell that Shonna really didn't know what to do with herself and the exact moment when the hostess in her took over by default. I gave Elen the boxed card that Aud had made, and which Aud, FT Kate, Ian and I had signed, which congratulated her on her role as a big sister. I also found out the Wolves teddy bears for her and William, then Shonna took me upstairs.

I was just hyper. I think I emptied my entire suitcase and carry-on, and just kept giving Shonna things to hold, while babbling nineteen to the dozen. And there's Shonna just looking at me with a stunned expression on her face! *grin and hugest grins ever*

I can't even remember what we canted about or if it was coherent, or if I just did the hyperactive babbling thing until we were back downstairs again. I'd taken a bottle of Newcy Brown for Brianne, as she'd said on the Grove ages ago that she missed it. Shonna got onto the Grove and told them that I was there. Mab and Elvis - together again. We had pizza and the 'phone started ringing. It was Corey. Of course, I'm Black Country, who hadn't yet learned to slow down and enunciate and she's a Californian Valley Girl. We babbled excitedly not understanding a word of what the other was saying, until Shonna intervened to translate.

Stephane kept tittering to himself. He was fun to watch too. A definite 'look what I did' look on his face. LOL

Shonna and I popped to Brianne's house to take her Newcy Brown and I had that overpowering sensation again of a creature stepped from legend. Corey's already described it in her blog as characters from a story-book come to life and that is spot on. I was still gobsmacked by the size of the houses and the water hydran-thingies that you see in films, then there's Brianne hugging me! I couldn't stop grinning, I just wanted to pinch myself.

We were going to pop to Chelle's as well, but she was out galavanting, so Shonna took me a drive down the Strip instead. She was explaining that Vegas is quite liberal and we'd see open prostitution etc (not much different from Wolverhampton then...), when we passed a Drug Store. Did I get the wrong end of the stick on that one?! LOL That confusion was deepened by the fact that, unseen by me, an illegal drug transaction WAS taking place to the side of it, which is what Shonna thought I meant. It took several days and one Pixie to dissuade me of the fact that I thought Americans had stores to buy their substances from.

The STRIP! 'kin Hell! You have to see it. It can't be described. If you want full effect, take one Black Country wench and add the Strip. It's big and it's full of pretties. In abundance. Gobsmacked doesn't cover it, nothing could have prepared me for THAT!

Then it was back to their house and canting until stupid o'clock in the morning.

*grin*

That was ONE bloody fantastic night!

yours
Mab
xxxxx