Pier Pressure

Loretto has been here since before she could remember but that still doesn't press her to want it.

I wasn't expecting to have this fare this weekend.

I was pulled off on a detour in a familiar dangerous (for my pocketbook) area after I got a ping for a fare that was way too far away. I stopped to see if the person wanted to wait the over twenty minutes it was going to take me to get there from where I was. 

I'd pulled over in a parking lot to message the original passenger. They didn't answer after a phone call and a text to confirm. I had not driven in weeks due to taking care of things with regards to Jess so I really couldn't afford to chance it. I elected to cancel as I said.

I did what most people likely are doing when they have a spare second left. I took a moment to turn my ap on and see if there were any Pokemon around there. Apparently Culver City is a hotbed for them but stay away from my turf unless you're also team Valor.

I left Lyft on to immediately get a ping. It was little Lorretto who was working at the Goodwill. She was headed to the Venice Fishing pier. It turns out that this was nothing special and also something very special for her.

"We go all the time and fish. I'm meeting my parents there."

"What will you be catching?"

"Lobster. It's lobster season."

"Oh that's great. I'm guessing you get to eat a lot of that then?"

Lorretto made a face.

"What?"

"I don't like seafood."

This was really strange to me. If you're anyone I've spoken to really or know of my online chatter you'd know that I am a HUGE sushi buff. Seafood is the lifeblood of love just as communication is and oh so much more. It was particularly funny due to the locations we were driving through.

As we drove we passed through a very very special part of town. We were passing through the section where the main character (Stars) from Once Loved and I would frequent the most. It stung a bit. It stung for many reasons besides this drive and so many other things and it actually came up several times as well as it was passed for fares several times through the day.

"Wait. So.. you don't like seafood but you fish with your parents?"

"We go ALL the time. We've been going since I was a baby. There's always fish. But one day I found out I didn't like it. It was something that I had a bad feeling about and I ended up being right. I haven't liked it since. I just can't."

I ended up sharing a bit about how much I could not disagree more. I told her about the sushi habits of a couple of lovers I.. happened to have been once.

"..it's frustrating because he asked me about my health recently and I haven't been able to eat sushi in so long. It was something very special we shared and my body misses him in so many ways beyond just the connection intellectually. It probably sounds stupid but when you share things on so many levels it's a bit annoying."

She smiled.

I smiled.

I asked her if she'd ever brought a date to meet her parents and fish.

"Yes I have! Now he goes all the time!"

"And you still don't want to eat any of the fish?"

"Nope!" she said as we both laughed.

Loretto and I ended up talking about one more thing involving the pier but... I think that's enough pressure for this trip. Stay tuned for the second part of it on another edition of City Driving Stories over here on Little Girl, Big City.