Jimmy & Richie - 20. Chapter 20

We had breakfast at the hotel and then took a walk along the Niagara River. We could see the Falls and the mist that rose from the base of the Falls.

“There’s a tourist boat that we can take and see the Falls from the bottom. I think it’s called the Maid of the Mist. Do you want to go?”

“Let’s do it after lunch. I’d just like to walk around. Dad said he’d meet us for dinner.”

“We could check out the Visitor Center, that might give us some ideas.”

“Good idea Nick, now how about you checking your phone and find out where the Visitor Center is located.”

“We’re not too far from it, it’s close to the River just above the Falls.” We walked to the Center and picked up some leaflets.

“Look, there’s a short movie, let’s watch it.”

“Good idea Nick, maybe it’ll give us some idea of what we can do this afternoon.”

The movie was basically a history lesson. They did a panoramic view of the Falls and of course they highlighted the attractions with visuals. I thought one day wouldn’t be enough, but maybe we could come back. The movie did highlight that Niagara Falls was a favorite honeymoon spot.

“I think if we come back, we should bring our passports and go over to the Canadian side.”

“Jimmy, after lunch, we’ll have time for the boat ride, and maybe we could go take a walking tour. Then I think it’ll be time to meet Dad for dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Nick, what are your thoughts?”

“I’m in. Let’s get lunch.”

“Jimmy, let’s look for one of those all you can eat for one price deals. Otherwise, we won’t have enough money to fill Nick.”

Nick went to grab Rich, but Rich was too quick and ducked away.

“I saw that you got a handful of brochures at the Visitor Center, check it out for restaurants that have buffets.”

“There’s a Chinese restaurant, one price buffet. How about that?”

“Sounds good. Rich you in?”

“Yep, let’s go. Nick lead the way.”

The restaurant wasn’t far from the hotel, and in fact, nothing was too far from our hotel. “Rich, count the number of times Nick goes to the buffet table.”

The food was good, and there were many choices. Rich and I had one plate, but they were loaded, we were only going to make one trip. Nick’s plate was mainly two items, and then we knew, if there were eight different entrees, Nick would make at least four trips. I looked at Rich and he smiled, we were thinking alike. Nick made six trips to the buffet and that didn’t count the trip for dessert.

“I don’t know where he puts it all.”

“And he’ll eat a big dinner as well. He must have a very fast metabolism, or else he visits the restrooms a lot.”

After lunch, we walked to where we had to board the Maid of the Mist. We waited about thirty minutes till the boat came in from a previous tour. When we boarded, they gave us plastic covers, we soon found out why. The boat came very close to the Falls, and we understood the name. You could hardly see the actual water falling over the Falls because of the amount of mist generated at the base of the Falls. The ride was interesting, we kidded Nick about riding the maiden with our tongue in cheek meaning. We decided to take the walking tour to help Nick digest his lunch, at least that was our excuse.

“I’m glad to get back and rest my feet. I don’t think I have ever walked as much.”

“You probably have only you weren’t being pushed to keep up, nor have you ever walked for two and a half hours without taking a rest. I think I’m going to take a little nap before we head out to meet Rich’s dad. Want to join me Rich?”

I think he had the covers pulled back before I finished my sentence. We undressed down to our briefs and got under the covers. I soon felt someone with their back to mine.

“Nick, you can sleep in the other bed.”

“Yea, but I miss this.”

“What are you going to do when you get home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe he can hire someone to sleep with him.” That led to a little wrestling match, but after a few tickles, everyone settled down, and sleep came quickly.

The phone woke us. Rich went and answered it, “That was Dad, he’s waiting for us in the lobby.”

I looked at the clock and it was six, “I didn’t think we slept this long. Let’s hurry up and get dressed and go meet your dad.”

We met Rich’s dad, and he had to tease us about being late. Rich told him what we did and that after taking the walking tour, we decided to take a little nap. He asked us what we thought about the Falls. Rich told him the next time we came, we wanted to cross over to the Canadian side.

Rich’s dad took us to a small family-type restaurant. When we entered they all recognized Rich’s dad so I guess he ate here often. He introduced as to the owner and made a fuss over Rich. Who’s father won’t make a fuss over their son. We were shown to a table, and asked what we’d like to drink and then the waiter was gone.

“There are no menus?”

“No, they only prepare one meal a day for supper. You’ll like it. I eat here as often as I can.”

I looked at Nick. He seemed to be satisfied. I would bet that Nick would try anything that could be described as food.

Our meal started with a soup that had a rich chicken flavor, followed by a green salad with the house dressing. Our main course was stewed rabbit with sides of vegetables and fried potato wedges. I had never eaten rabbit, but after one taste, I was ready to put it on my list of favorite foods.

One way you can tell if the food is good, there isn’t any conversation. We were so into our dinner, the only sound was the knife cutting the meat or a fork moving from plate to mouth. There were a few mmm sounds. I couldn’t finish all of my vegetables, so I moved my plate in front of Nick. He smiled and finished his plate and then attacked mine. The next plate put in front of him was Rich’s, he smiled and finished that plate as well. Rich’s dad just looked at Nick as he ate. No one could believe the amount of food that guy could eat and still stay slim.

Dessert was a butterscotch mousse with chocolate chips. I took one spoon, it was so rich that I decided I’d forego the rest. Well, it didn’t go to waste, someone noticed I wasn’t eating mine. He looked at me, I nodded yes and the dish was gone, replaced with an empty dish. Rich managed to eat half of his before Nick ate the rest. Rich’s dad took care of the check. He said something to the owner, but we were at the door waiting so we didn’t hear what he said. Rich’s dad was smiling, and so was the owner, so it must have been good.

When we got back to the hotel, we went to the coffee shop and had a coffee. “Rich, Nick and I are going to the room. You stay here and visit with your dad. We’ll see you upstairs.”

Nick and I thanked Rich’s dad for dinner and said our good night. I winked at Rich as we left. Once we got to the room, “Nick, why don’t you checked how many miles it is to your home. That way, we can figure out if we need to book a hotel.”

About twenty minutes later, “Jimmy, if we use the Interstates, it will take us without stopping a little over thirteen hours. That’s a lot of driving. I think we should plan on driving for at least eight hours, stay at a hotel and then drive the rest of the way. That way, we won’t be tired. Interstate driving can be monotonous, and the break will be nice.”

“Ok, let’s plan on that. We can decide where we want to stop once we get underway.”

Nick took a shower and got ready for bed. While I was in the shower, Rich returned, and soon I felt him in the shower with me. “Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m going to miss Dad, but he said after this job, he’s going to take some time off.”

I looked into those eyes. I saw confusion, missing his dad, and the love for me. There was no struggle, but he was close to his dad. I made a vow at that moment that no matter what happens, I would see that he stayed in close contact with his dad. In some ways, I was a little jealous. His dad accepted him, and my dad would not accept Brandon or me.

That night in bed, I held Rich very close. Our bodies touched, Rich had his head on my chest. My arms encircled his body, pulling him close so that a part of him rested on me. I felt that I was the luckiest guy in the world. I guess a lot of people feel this way with their loved ones. For me, it was a new and exciting experience.