My Epic Journey Home - Part Nine and The End

So there I am in LA waiting for the bus to Fresno. Everything was delayed. I began to surf facebook to kill some time. I begin to see pictures of places very near my home completely under water. Apparently it is flooding. WTF. I text my Mum and ask her if the house is okay. She says yes, we live on high ground thankfully, but my brother's car is under 8 feet of water. So in the space of three weeks an earthquake, a hurricane, and flooding has hit where I live. I begin to think I am better off in Cali at this point. The girl next to me asks to borrow my phone and we strike up a conversation. She seems shy but very sweet. Once we finally get on the bus we don't sit together but are still close enough to talk when we feel like it. As we get closer to Fresno she seems more worried. We are behind schedule and we are now going to be getting there after dark. I know from her borrowing my phone that she is expected at an intake appointment for the women's shelter. She has asked for the address and walking directions when she was on the phone. I can tell she is not familiar with Fresno or she wouldn't be planning to walk through that area of town at night.

I call my Gran and ask her if my Aunt is picking me up and if she know's where the shelter is. Gran says actually my Aunt works on a contract with them and should know exactly where it is. So for once on this trip instead of relying on others to help me out I am able to pay it forward a bit and give this woman a safe ride to the shelter. It felt nice to help someone else out. I get to my Gran's finally around 930pm. I am so happy because I have not seen her in two years, the longest I've gone without seeing her. We are very close. In fact my whole family is close. While I spend the next week in Fresno I get to see all my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins, as well as family friends. Some of the visit is bittersweet because it just upsets my family. They knew I was not well, but seeing first hand how my health has degenerated and the pain I live in on a daily basis is shocking for them, which is painful for me. But at least I get to spend some quality time with them when I didn't think I would be able to see them at all after Burning Man. It is with a heavy heart that I get back on the bus to catch my flight in LA.

So begins that last leg of my epic journey home. I spend 5 hours on a bus to LA. Then another 30 minutes on a bus to Union Station. Then another hour on a bus to LAX. Then I check in, eat some food, head to my gate, and realize I still have another 4 hours to wait until my flight. And everyone made fun of me for bringing 6 books to Burning Man with me. I kill time reading and surfing the internet on my phone. At one point a flight lands and unloads it passengers in front of me and I swear Henry Winkler gets off the plane and passes me. Finally it is time to board. I am exhausted and in pain and of course can't sleep. It is an overnight flight but I spend the whole 5 hours awake and miserable. I land at 545am. I try to get a hold of my Mum as I disembark but no go. I finally think to call my Dad and he has actually parked and is waiting for me in the airport as I come out at baggage claim. I am so happy to be in Virginia even if I do hate living here :)

So it took almost a full month but I made it home safe and sound. Thank you to all my ePlaya friends who kept me sane while I planned my trip. Thank you to Fishy for saving me in Reno. Thank you to the Tren Way Bike Camp for being awesome friends and taking care of me on playa. Thank you Nicole and Greg for getting my stuff to LA. Thank you Danny and Mims for getting me to LA. Thank you Brendan and his sweet girlfriend for putting me up. Thank you to my cousin Sean for driving all the way to LA and grabbing/storing my stuff for me. Thank you to my parents for helping me to get a plane ticket home. Thank you to my Gran for letting me stay with her a week while I waited for my flight home. Thank you to my family for spending time with me and cheering me up. Thank you to my Dad for picking me up from the airport at such an ungodly hour. And thank you all of you who have spent some time here reading my stories, appreciating my comments, and just generally making this whole experience something to be proud of instead of freaked out about. I love you all.