The Single Guy and the Wedding Road Trip

Once upon a time, the Single Guy received a wedding invitation. The blessed event was to take place on a Friday in Greenville, South Carolina. After reading the invitation's details, the Single Guy wondered if it would be possible to attend the ceremony. Turns out, he could. See, the company for whom the Single Guy currently works only requires him to be there Monday through Thursday. That means there's a three day weekend every week.

So he had the Friday in question off. The next problem lay in the trip to Greenville. Or, more accurately, the return trip from Greenville. Financially, it did not make a lot of sense for the Single Guy to get a hotel room for the night. But he was slightly concerned about driving back late at night after the wedding was over. At least, he was concerned about driving alone. That's where Grilled Cheese Girl and DJ Dr. Mac come in.

The trio all wanted to attend the wedding, but did not want to spend the night in South Carolina. So they made a plan to drive down and back all in one day. It would make for a long road trip, but not an impossible one.

They took the Single Guy's car, leaving at 12:30 on the day of the wedding, assuming the Google was correct about the estimated travel time of 4 hours, 28 minutes. Google would never steer them wrong, right?

The road trip was classic. It was filled with the kind of conversations that can only be had when three people find themselves in close quarters for four and a half hours. The ladies asked the Single Guy what guys really talk about. Funny enough, it's not far off from what women apparently discuss on a regular basis. Except, possibly, with more grunts and fewer emotional tells.

These conversations were fueled mostly by candy and caffeine. As were the sing-alongs made possible by the completely random collection of music provided by the Single Guy's iPod. One would think that 4.5 hours in a car would feel like a long time. To the Single Guy, it seemed to fly by.

The Single Guy, Grilled Cheese Girl, and DJ Dr. Mac arrived at the wedding site with time to spare. The venue was gorgeous. The happy couple said their vows atop a mountain chapel that was strategically built without walls, giving a wide angle view of an enormous valley below. It was kind of breathtaking.

Unfortunately, our heroes were unable to properly congratulate the newlyweds after the ceremony was over. They made their way to the reception to make a solid attempt at conveying their congratulations, but time marched on. They all knew they had the return trip to make. As 9:00pm approached, it became clearer that they would need to leave in order to make it back before sunrise.

They were all sorry to have missed the newlyweds' arrival to the ballroom, but practicality set in and made things real. Once again, they hit the road. Except they were all starving for real food. Sure, there were still plenty of sugary treats in the car for the midnight ride, but they desired dinner. Luckily for the Single Guy, there was a Krystal nearby. He got to enjoy those greasy little mini-burgers before jumping back on the interstate.

Once again, the Single Guy, Grilled Cheese Girl, and DJ Dr. Mac settled in for a long trip filled with late-night conversations and singing to the tops of their lungs. There was an attempt at rapping, as well as attempts at singing REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It" and Barenaked Ladies' "One Week." Very interesting renditions, indeed.

They got back to Blacksburg around 2:30am. Jacked up on SweetTarts and Rice Krispies Treats. Riddled with cavities. Exhausted.

The Single Guy would do it all over again in a heartbeat.