May 18th, 2005

Well, I suppose I should thank Aurora for a lovely introduction, and for not stealing my thunder, though I’m not sure if I’m “fabulous”, but hey, I’ll take the compliment.

Now, some of you are probably wondering “What in the world is Aurora thinking, letting this unknown goober write for her!?”. Personally, I’m not sure. I think she’s taken a leave of her senses.

The few of you who read this and who know me are probably instead thinking “Why in the world would he agree to stick his neck out and write for her, when he has all the literary skills of a drugged up monkey?”. And that, ah, that I can answer.

So sit yourselves down (and if you’re standing up while using your computer, well, that’s weird, but to each their own) and I’ll tell you a tale. A tale of a fateful trip. That started at a chilly airport. Aboard this tiny airship.

Well, the story begins… oh… a bit over 2… or was it 3 years ago? I was playing on MajorMUD, where Aurora was a GameOP, and doing quite well for myself. I was quite a high level in the game, and had taken to helping new players get on their feet and learn about the world. One new player logged on, who called herself Devon. I took a shine to her, and took her all around the place. I bought her new armor, helped her level up, and everything looked shiny and happy. Eventually, we started talking outside of the game, and then via phone (my phone bills were a horror story in and of themselves). And I’ll admit, I fell for her. Hard. Not the smartest of things, I admit, but hey, it happened.

Then came the fateful day that I decided to finally meet my lady love. She lived in California, and I was all the way in Ontario, so I knew it wouldn’t be a cheap trip, but nevertheless, I dipped very heavily into my savings account, and bought a plane ticket. Checked with Devon on a good date, let her know when my flight was coming in, and all the other stuff people need to know to pick you up at an airport. Planned to stay for a glorious fun-filled week with her. Life was good. Except that a couple days before my plane was to leave, Devon was barely logging on. This didn’t seem like a good thing, but I’d be danged if I didn’t get to use my non-refundable plane ticket to California.

And this is when I found out just what a warm, caring and all-around amazing person Aurora was. I confided in her some nervousness regarding my upcoming trip, and she told me that if anything went wrong, I was to call her. So I got on the plane, bags packed, and sat with my knees knocking the entire flight. I got to the airport, called Devon, and… her ex-boyfriend picked up and hung up on me. I called again, and again was hung up on. I was stranded in California. So I called Aurora.

Aurora immediately took pity on me. She drove out to the airport, picked me up, took me to her place, and let me sleep on her couch for the whole week. When she wasn’t at work, she was taking me out to see Venice Beach, Los Angeles, and all the things a Canuckian needs to brag about when they get back home. If not for her, I probably would have ended up in a cheap hostel wallowing in self-pity for that entire week. She really was my saviour that week.

At the end of the week, I packed up, thanked her profusely, and got on the plane home. After I arrived home, I realized that the 3 koosh balls I used for juggling had been left behind, most likely still sitting on her coffee table.

And that, ladies and gentlement, is why I agreed to help her out.

Because she still has my balls.

Entry Filed under: Atomic Bombshell