![2021 Music Showcase, Part 2 [[xxxREMIXxx]]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/508751_0d423aa8b4164c4aa9d554338800336a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1200,h_800,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/508751_0d423aa8b4164c4aa9d554338800336a~mv2.jpg)
Tuesday:
Two flights later, and we arrived in Hilton Head. We got off the plane and were immediately hit by a blast of humidity that made us regret every decision that brought us to that moment. But just for a moment. It didn’t take long before we were picked up by her Andrea’s parents and brought to the Bluewater Resort & Marina. It seemed like everyone was due for a vacation, because the whole crew was down for some intense relaxing.
It was nice seeing the in-laws (which I will be referring to as Dad#2 and Mom#2.) They were happy to see us, and we were later joined by Andrea’s brother Bennie, her childhood bestie Alexis, and her Aunt-but-not-really-just-a-long-time-friend-of-her-parents Vanessa.
Dad#2 was deep into vacation mode, wanting to go golfing (which he had been doing for about a year now) and fishing
(which he had never done). Fishing was the first thing on the list, and Dad#2 made it an optimistic point to grab a bucket to put any fish we catch. There was little to no fishing experience between any of us, and I was not keen on the idea of it since I was about 14 years old and caught a turtle on accident. To everyone’s surprise, Alexis ended up catching a large Toad Fish. Unfortunately, it swallowed the hook, so I had to cut the line and let him swim away with that. It made both me and Andrea very sad for him. The parents continued to fish, but didn’t catch anything else.
That afternoon we mainly relaxed as we watched news reports come in about tropical storm Florence heading our way. We started crossing our fingers that the whole trip would not be rained out.
Wednesday:
The next day we tried to go kayaking. The group we signed up with was surprised to see a 10 foot alligator swimming around the dock. It just seemed to be hanging out, and we were warned that since he was in salt water, he was most likely aggressive due to being sick and/or hungry. The entire group we signed up said “no way” but I still think back to that moment as a missed opportunity to make friends with an angry gator.
After that, we did the next thing that Dad#2 was really excited about, which was golfing. He took me, Andrea, and Alexis to the driving range to get some practice in before we go to the course on the next day. The problem was that he golfs left handed, and the rest of are right handed. We tried our best, but none of us were hitting well at all except for Dad#2. It was my first time trying left handed clubs, but I was able still find the fun in it.
Thursday:
The next day we picked up a few right handed clubs and really played golf. Kinda. I was clearly not ready for this. When we arrived, I was told I was not in the appropriate attire. I wore my lightest t-shirt because it was a hot day, but i needed a collared shirt. I hate wearing polos, so it’s not something I would ever pack. The only ones available were at the pro shop which I bought the cheapest one I found on clearance. $60 later, I was on the course. It turns out I was not great right handed either, and neither was Alexis or Andrea. but we were able to hit a few out along side Dad#2.
Friday:
Tropical Storm Florence had been picking up steam and been upgraded to a Hurricane. It seemed clear that the second half of our vacation would be quite rainy.
That night we went to a Ruby Lee’s to eat dinner with the whole crew. It was a nice restaurant and we watched Gwen Yvette
and her band play. It was good R&B/Jazz tunes, and she seemed to really know what to give the crowd. Often times would offer up a microphone to the audience to sing along with her. There was dancing as well, which Bennie took advantage of as a world class mover/shaker. I liked it, but Andrea wasn’t crazy about it.
Saturday:
Hurricane Florence was still a ways off, so we decided to go to the beach. Dre’s older brother Thomas was able to join us for the last day and join us along with his wife and daughter Essence. It might be just age, but I was able to see the joy in just laying back in the ocean and just floating there, letting the waves just move me around with a gentle massage.
That night we played bingo as one big family, which felt really special. All nine of us were having a good time, and every winning card was greeted with a random dollar store prize purchased earlier by either Dad#2 or me. We were all laughing and making jabs at each other, but there was one player focused on winning more than any: little 9-year-old Essence. We could all see the sadness in her little eyes every time someone else called Bingo, and she didn’t even really care about the prizes. She just wanted to win. When she finally did win, we were all happy for her. We were happy as well, because at that point we were all burnt out anyway.
Sunday:
We packed up the night before and were driven down to the Savannah/Hilton Head Airport where we said our goodbyes to the parents and the first half of our vacation. It was a little nostalgic, since this was the airport we had been flying in and out of to go to college at SCAD, and we prepared for another good week.
