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on an overnight excursion at the end of this month.

WARNING: another long one...

Some background...

- I've been at my current job almost 11 months and have yet to ask for more than a single day off. When I *did* ask for one day off, I just got scheduled for a different day, so it's not like I had a bunch of time off all at once. Also, it's worth noting that except for a couple weekends back in August that my store manager knew I already had commitments on two Saturdays, I've only had both Saturday and the following Sunday off once. I am almost always on Saturday's schedule, and lately I've been closing on Saturdays. I hate that...but that's a topic for a different day. I'm more than ready for a (mini) vacation.

- many months ago, in casual conversation, bff asked me if I would have any interest in going to Marietta, Ohio. It's about a 2 and 1/2 hour drive from here (so technically it could be a day trip) and often pops up on lists of the top 10 cities in Ohio to visit. Plus my folks honeymooned in Marietta; not exactly an exotic destination but Dad was relatively new to his job and couldn't get a lot of time off, so they got married late on a Saturday morning, were in Marietta by evening and were home late Sunday night so Dad could go to work Monday morning. So yes, I would like to see Marietta, OH, and I told bff so. I got one of her usual "we should..." answers, which usually means "we probably won't".

A couple months ago, I found out the band I love (Home Free) is playing a free concert in Vienna, WV, for the town's "Freedom Festival" on Saturday, June 28. Vienna is just across the Ohio River from Marietta; you have to pass through Marietta to get there from here. I immediately thought of bff and her desire to ("someday") see Marietta. The next time I saw her, I asked if she wanted to go with me. I told her I was going one way or another and, mindful of her financial situation, I told her I'd pay for the hotel and gas and all she would have to do is pay for her lunch and dinner the day of the concert. She froze like a deer in headlights and then said she'd "think about it".

A little more background...bff and I used to travel together regularly, taking usually one 4-5 day vacation together every year. She's also gone on vacation with other people, as have I. But somewhere around the mid 2010s, that kind of fizzled out. Not counting an overnight trip to Columbus to see her niece graduate, it's been about 5 years since we did an overnight trip (for some reason, her niece holds me in high esteem and invited me to the graduation). And it's been 10 years since we did a multi-day trip together. Her excuse to not go anywhere is the same as the reason I've not set foot inside her home in almost 10 years: her dogs. She doesn't want to disrupt their routine. And to be fair, her last four dogs (including the two she has now) have been a bit high-maintenance, so while I have my doubts about her excuse(s), I'm not willing to call BS.

Flash forward to yesterday...after I worked the AM shift, bff and I went for a walk at a local park. Before we parted, I asked her again if she wanted to go with me to Marietta/Vienna, WV (but not the concert; she saw HF with me once and thought they were good but she's not a fan, and that's fine. The hotel has a nice indoor pool <g>). She again looked stunned by the offer, almost as if she was frantically trying to think of a viable excuse (at this point, Dad would roll his eyes and tell me I was reading too much into her reaction...and he probably is right). I then shamelessly "sweetened the pot" by offering to have her niece come along (the hotel room has two queen-size beds). Bff is concerned about her niece's quality of life; she (the niece) is living at home, has no job despite graduating with high honors and a double major (and isn't even looking for one) and has no friends to hang out with, despite having a core group of friends all through high school and a different core group of friends in college. Vacationing with a 23 year old isn't super desirable to me but I like the niece quite a bit and have travelled with her before (she, bff and I went to Toronto once to see Il Volo perform, back when the niece was maybe 12 or 13). And I'd be happy to help her break the monotony of her life right now...and if it helps bff decide to go (I wouldn't go with just the niece; we're not THAT close), then I'm perfectly fine with her accompanying us.

Bff said I dunno, what about my dogs? I reminded her she's now working at a doggie daycare that also boards dogs so I'm sure they'd be happy to take her two (bff actually met the one at doggie daycare and took her home after Ginger's elderly owners died within 4 days of one another). They probably wouldn't even charge her. Bff then fretted that the daycare isn't open Sundays so she wouldn't be able to bring them home until Monday...but she occasionally "works" Sunday mornings/afternoons, going in to feed the dogs and put out fresh water and let them out for a bit. She could easily do so the morning we come back; I wasn't planning on staying any longer than (the free) breakfast at the hotel.

And still I was left hanging. Once again, it boils down to a lack of communication between us on certain subjects. At this point, I just want a "yes" or a "no". TBH, if the answer is "no", I *would* like an explanation, maybe "I can't afford even a short trip right now" or even "no, I don't want to do that". What I don't want is a BS excuse and an empty promise to "do something" later. If she's not given me an answer by, say, June 21, I'm going to demand one. If I were a betting woman, my bet would be on "No" + a BS excuse.