“Cate’s Visit” Mega Entry
Did I tell y’all my friend Cate was going to visit me? Well, she did! Just this past weekend, in fact.
The Black Bird of Charity
I picked her up from George W. Bush Holy Intercontinental Airport on Wednesday night. Luckily, she’d made it from Toronto to Houston safely.
“And this is our skyline,” I said as we sped down I-45. “Ooh,” Cate dutifully replied.
My phone rang. It was a person who shall remain nameless, to whom I haven’t spoken in months, calling to tell me that a distant acquaintance had just died.
“Oh, my gosh,” I said.
“So, the funeral’s Friday at one.”
“Oh, gosh. I probably won’t be there,” I said. “I just picked up my friend from the airport. She’s here from Canada.”
“Okay, well, we’re meeting tomorrow evening to practice.” She meant choir practice. “Get there as soon as you can. The rosary’s tomorrow night.”
“I probably can’t…”
“The funeral’s Friday at one. Come tomorrow so you can practice.”
I haven’t sung in the church choir since I was eighteen, back in 1990. I haven’t sang at a funeral since my aunt died three or four years ago. Before that happened, I sang at funerals and death beds all the time. Why? Because not many choir members volunteer for them, and I was susceptible to guilt trips. Someone once joked that she never wanted to wake up in a hospital and hear me singing. Unfortunately, that person has since passed away. But I didn’t sing at her funeral. (I had someone in from out of town.)
I didn’t sing at this funeral, either. I’m sorry. Rest in peace.
Cate Is My Lucky Shopping Charm
We said we wouldn’t go to the mall, but then we did. Cate wanted to go to Target, since they are sadly bereft of it where she lives. We chose the Target that happened to be inside a mall, and things just progressed from there. The shopping luck started at Bath & Body Works, where shower gels I’d previously coveted and dismissed as too pricey were now magically marked down 75%. And it only got better from there.
I kept trying to make Cate try on spicier clothes than she was used to. “I can’t wear that,” she would say. “I’m Canadian.”
“Come on!” I’d say. “I wear stuff like this all the time, and people almost never mistake me for a hooker!”
She bought a little bit of sassy stuff, then, but not as much as I’ll make her buy when I return her visit next week. We got some hardcore, in-depth bargains. I’ll list featured items from the entire weekend here, because I know there are some shopping addicts reading this blog who like to live vicariously.
At Target:
Cate:
several varieties of black t-shirts
cough underwear cough
cute striped canvas slidesGwen:
a leaf green t-shirt
[whispered] underwear
awesome black clogs with silver studs for $8.43
awesome black/khaki army-surplus-chick platform flip-flops for $4
In Harwin (wholesale district):
Cate:
lots of swarovski (however it’s spelled) crystal chandelier earrings in various colors, for, like, on average, $3 each
parts to make more earringsGwen:
these big, mod-ass dangling mother-of-pearl disc earrings, for $3
a fabulous three-strand bracelet of smaller m-o-p discs to match, for $5
a whole set of copper m-o-p necklace and earrings, for $7
a multi-strand pearl bracelet to go with the pearl necklace I bought from Target earlier in the week to wear to Cathy’s wedding, for $6
At Casa Ramirez, a Mexican import shop in the Heights:
Cate:
the coolest luchador mask in the world
a bad-ass palm leaf hat
the sexy calendar of the abejita who looks a little like Rita HayworthGwen:
the ire of the owner, Marcario Ramirez, for asking him why he didn’t stock my book
At the bead store in the Village:
Cate:
a lot of beads
At TJ Maxx:
Cate:
was gonna buy underwear for her man but then didn’tGwen:
ahem – underwear
pantyhose for Cathy’s weddingTad:
a white Calvin Klein shirt for Cathy’s wedding, for $19.99 (See? Cate was good luck for him, too.)
Also, while waiting for the leak in my tire to be fixed, Cate and I bought some scratch tickets. I won $21, which paid for my tire and Cate’s coffee. Cate won nothing but the experience of having scratched her first scratch ticket in Houston.
Houston: The Bayou City
I bragged to Cate that Houston had an impressive bayou system. She asked several intelligent questions and I realized I didn’t know a damned thing about it.
But, now, through the magic of Google, we can all learn everything about Houston bayous we ever wanted to know.
Houston: City of Food
Food Cate tried that she’d never had before: Green enchiladas, canned menudo, a Monte Cristo sandwich.
Food I tried that I’d never had before: Korean jap chaie, shark fin dumplings, a bite of Cate’s Monte Cristo sandwich.
Something I learned that Cate already knew and that she tried to tell me but that I was too stubborn to believe until I experienced it for myself: It’s not a good idea to box up your leftover Korean food and then leave it in your car for an hour.
Regrets…We’ve Had a Few
Things Cate wanted to do but didn’t:
Go to Wal-Mart.
Buy a t-shirt from the trendy religious t-shirt kiosk in the mall.
Buy Mexican porn comics.
Things Cate didn’t know she wanted to do until she did them:
Buy voodoo soap and voodoo air freshener from a local grocery store.
See old, ugly cross-dressers in bikinis and tutus.
Get asked to dance by a guy who barely spoke English.
Next time: Photographs of Houston’s art and culture.
