Day 4 - Duncan, OK, to Shreveport, LA

I suspect the word “mature” doesn’t come up often when my friends describe me to other people, but I feel downright juvenile when put in direct comparison with Sonya and Jim.
We are the oldest grandkids on our moms’ side of the family and roughly the same age, with Sonya being about two years older than me and me being a few months older than Jim.
Well, Sonya is finished with college and has three kids, with a fourth on the way, and Jim is married and expecting (his wife is, anyway).
I have trouble making relationships work for more than a month, I can’t imagine loving a small, pooping, dependent creature of any kind more than myself, and I will completely not date a girl if she has poor taste in movies.
If this little existence thing we’re all doing actually were a game of “Life,” I’d be like five turns behind.

I don’t even have a job yet and my parents still pay some of my bills.
I usually don’t feel too bad about this because, you know, the job thing should work out really well for me, except for the pay thing, and I’ve been out of school for about three months.
Actually, I still don’t feel that bad about, but I’m not going out of my way to compare myself with my cousins.
These thoughts came about because I was at my Aunt Shelly’s house today and Jim and Sonya both drove in to see us.
Jim and I spent a few minutes during the morning swimming, which we did growing up pretty much every minute we were together but hadn’t done in about 15 years.
Jim and I are a lot alike. We’re articulate, good-looking, affable fellows, although Jim uses distinctly less-profane language than I do. He was also a quarterback in high school while I was on the golf team.
Anyway, we had a good time joking around while the wee ones were at school, until Sonya showed up with her kids.
I thoroughly enjoyed goofing around with her children, mostly because I’d never seen them before.
I’m still not sure about the whole dad thing, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be a cool uncle.
Sonya just came down for a few hours for lunch before taking off, at which point we discussed whether or not to stay another night or drive some.
Originally the plan was to spend another night in Duncan, but my mom was worried about being in a car for 13 hours tomorrow to get to New Orleans.
It took us about two hours to decide because dad hates makings decisions, mom wants to do what makes everyone else happy, and I just don’t give a shit.
Ultimately we left and I found the energy to take the wheel for six hours to get all the way to Shreveport, Louis.
“But Garrett, you missed Texas by driving at night?”
No, I didn’t. Texas isn’t nearly as cool as Texans think it is, and now I’m one day nearer to the Big Easy.