I am NOT a creampuff!!!!

So, back before I was a single mother......back before I had a house.....years ago.....I was still broke. Yep, AND I lived with my parents. At that time though, I was really good FRIENDS with my cousin, Bubba (ok, that's not really his name....I changed it.....funny though, huh?).

He is just several months older than I am and we've always been pretty close growing up. Our family is Pentacostal, so in essence, they are pretty strict. So, I am one of the few family members that know Bubba is a homosexual.

Bubba got a new job in Ft. Lauderdale and invited me to come stay with him for a week. He was sharing a house with one of his friends that I met a few months earlier when I went with Bubba to interview for the job. That trip was a whole other story..... Anyway, I liked his friend John...and his dog, whats-his-name.

Bubba knew I was broke and really wanted me to come down, so he paid for my plane ticket. He met me at the airport with his new boyfriend, Gump. Now, I loved Bubba's previous boyfriend, Mr. Perfect...back in Kansas City. But I promised Bubba I would keep an open mind. What do I care, he's not my boyfriend.

The first thing I noticed was that Bubba acted like a different person. He was very materialistic all of a sudden. I noticed Gump was the same way. He was very pompous. And they argued like they were in high school. Bubba liked to drive me around Ft. Lauderdale in Gump's convertible trying to impress me. Doesn't he know me? I really don't care about cars so much.

Anyway, one night, they had a huge fight. It was VERY uncomfortable for me....I tried to become invisible but I wasn't obviously, and I heard everything anyway. Well, Bubba was DONE with Gump! He said he had had enough!!! I had too actually.

Before the fight though, I heard Gump yelling at Bubba over the phone saying "control her". What? What did I do? Control me? Got news for you, Gump!

So, when Bubba hung up the phone I just looked at him...he didn't say anything. I said "What? Aren't you going to try to control me?" He started defending Gump. It was really pathetic.

Anyway, after they fought...I started having a MUCH better time in Ft. Lauderdale. His roommates friends came over and we watched movies and drank too much. Bubba and I went to the Everglades and took an airboat ride. It rained REALLY hard and freaked out a lady that was on the boat with us. She cried....but there was nothing the driver could do. He had to stop where we were in the swamp til the rain let up...or else he could have gotten us lost out in the Everglades. This part of the trip was my favorite....because little did I know.....it wasn't gonna get any better.

Bubba and Gump made up. We were back in high school again. Well, me being me......I wasn't all warm and fuzzy about Gump like Bubba was. I didn't say anything though...I swear....not a word.

Of course, words are not necessary to determine my mood. Gump got all defensive and blew it out of proportion. It seemed like Gump was a tornado...and liked to constantly stir things up.

We were at the beach and I was just laying there. You know....laying on the beach....like everyone does. Bubba walked down to the ocean and left me alone with Gump. Gump layed into me.

He told me that they were going to be together no matter what! There was nothing I could do about it so I needed to stop my little game. Family meant EVERYTHING to them so they hated to fight with me. He called me a bitch and a creampuff before he sashayed off to meet up with Bubba.

I was stewing....fuming inside. Family, huh? I could just imagine Gump talking like this to any of my other cousins that weren't so open minded about their lifestyle. Whatever, he and Bubba were on their own now.

Of course my dang purse was locked in Bubba's trunk at the time, so I had NO money on me. I called Bubba's roommate....crying....and he came and picked me up. I was soooo mad that Bubba had left me alone in a city I didn't know how to get around in. I didn't have a car. I had no money on me. My flight didn't leave until the next day. And basically I had just wasted a week of my life in one of my favorite states.

I stayed in my room the rest of the night...not saying a word to anyone. Bubba's roommate bought me beer....he said it looked like I needed it. I was just counting down the hours waiting for my flight the next day.

Bubba came in later and confirmed he would still take me to the airport in the morning. But the next morning, as Gump was sitting on the couch, Bubba stood behind him and told me he'd called a cab. Fine.

I walked my bags outside to wait and Bubba followed me out. He yelled at me in the driveway. He told me I was a loser and I needed to get a life. He and Gump were going to be together and I needed to get over myself.

At this point, I STILL had not said a word in argument with Bubba or Gump. I had stood by both times and let them yell at me. That was TOTALLY not like me. In hindsight, the fact that I did not yell, that I stood there in silence, made them more mad than if I had argued.

He finally turned to leave me alone in the driveway to wait for the cab.

I kid you not....the cab driver must have been sent from God. He is just what I needed at that time.

He was from Cuba. He told me in his broken English about his family and how happy they were to be in America. He told me that he learned to speak English by listening to country music. His whole family LOVED country music. Then he sang some country songs to me the rest of the way to the airport. He left me with one small nice memory of that horrible trip!

I couldn't wait to get home. And, as I had left the 2 highschool bullies in Florida....when I saw my parents at the airport in St. Louis....I ran to them like a small child....bawling.....just wanting someone to make me feel better than the sand that got figuratively kicked in my face.

Wow, I wrote this for Ronda's contest at Travel With Ronda for the 'most memorable vacation'....but I must admit...it has been very therapeutic typing all of it out. I have held on to a lot of anger for several years.

Bubba and I are no longer friends....although, at family events we are civil. Of course, just as I suspected.....Gump is long gone....