Sometimes things don't quite go the way you plan them. Jeff and I had gotten married so fast that there wasn't time for a honeymoon - unless you count five solid days and nights of moving the contents of our previous lives and the loot from our impromptu wedding into a rental in Skokie, Illinois. Five months later, you can imagine the unbridled joy I felt when Jeff informed me that he was going to Fort Wayne on business, and that he thought this would be a perfect opportunity to finally do that honeymoon thing.
The next morning, I stumbled bleary eyed to the couch in the living room, woke Jeff, and let him know that I was willing to accompany him to Fort Wayne, but that he was forbidden for all time to use the words Fort Wayne or Northeast Indiana in the same sentence as honeymoon. Agreement was instant. We quickly packed and took our places in the new Chevy HHR sitting adorably in the driveway. Oh how I love that sweet little thing. When we first got it, I was convinced HHR stood for His, Hers, Rs. Of course, Mr. Practical informed me that it was most definitely an acronym for Heritage High Roof - whatever the heck that means!
Arriving in Fort Wayne a few hours later, I can't say I was awash with excitement. Granted this fabulous city played host to Episode 104 of "Dharma & Greg," was home to George Taylor, the lead astronaut character on "Planet of the Apes," and is the sister city of PBock in Poland, but how was that going to help me pass the time while Jeff spent the afternoon exploring the virtues of silicon based communication platforms?
Just as I felt myself sinking into a funk of epic proportions, I saw a billboard personally inviting me to visit the world-renowned "Johnny Appleseed Festival." My whole life had surely been leading up to this. I dropped Jeff in an office park, gave him a meaningful glare, and cheerfully floored the Chevy HHR in search of Archer Park and my lapsed pioneer spirit.
To describe the rush I felt upon meeting John Chapman a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed (portrayed by actor Scott Mertz), would be too difficult for my limited writing skills. Suffice it to say, after three hours of folksier-than-thou activities, presentations, and musical highlights, I couldn't wait to get my feet off the ground and my hands on Jeff. And I don't mean that in the honeymoon sense.
Jeff made it up to me with a mouthwatering dinner at Paula's on Main, a favorite among Fort Wayne locals. While we were waiting for our table at the bar, we met some interesting folk who had a whale of a time mocking me about my afternoon exploits with Johnny Appleseed. Somehow we all landed up eating dinner together. After a mountain of crab's legs and a barrel full of beer, we spilled out onto the streets of Fort Wayne singing at the top of our lungs, "I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need, the sun, and the rain and the apple tree."
We didn't know it yet, but the next morning when we climbed back into the Chevy HHR for the journey back from Northeastern Indiana, just like Johnny Appleseed, we were propagating our very own Silver seedling.
Author Bio: Shelley Silver is a part-time writer and full-time cynic who keeps her husband on his toes with a wide selection of kitchen implements and her razor-sharp tongue. In March, Shelley is expecting to give birth to a bouncing baby boy named Johnny. For more information on the Chevy HHR, visit chevypurchase.com.
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