The cracks

He walked into Subway, unshaven and unkempt.

Those already in line payed no attention as he seemed confused and not all there. He walked over to look at the rack of chips and then to the checkout counter to mumble a couple of words before shuffling back out into the evening air.

The people behind the counter weren't nonplussed as this wasn't the first time someone like that had come in.

The sandwich line kept moving.

The customer line kept moving.

Somewhere, another one slipped through the cracks.

The night will only know

The guy showed up late and had no idea what he'd gotten himself into.

People are doing shots, random people are makin out on the couch and there's lots of drunken loudness, nothin new there.

But it doesn't take long for the drunken loudness to turn into lots of screaming and crying.

And before he knows it, he's running down the street with a buddy at almost midnight in street clothes trying to find someone.

How did this happen?

People are in the streets crying, cars are driving around searching with the runners.

How did this happen?

Who knows how much time later, order has been marginally restored as cigars are passed around to relax, but does anyone truly know what happened?

Seriously.

Some things the night will only know.

A step toward the fall

I must say, I'm enjoying the recent infusion of fall weather into the scheme of things.

The overcast skies and cool, fresh air energize me and give newfound life to my day. I feel like things are good and I'm at peace when I'm just walking, not necessarily with a destination in mind. It's like I can just walk and silently watch the world pass me by as my worries wash away with the occasional drizzles we've had.

Not only that, but this type of weather always takes me back to my senior year in high school during my fall cross country season. I remember after a good, hard run, going out to my '72 Cougar convertible, putting on some country and just letting it all engulf me. It was a great feeling, one I've tried to keep bottled with me and can pull out when needed.

I revel in difficult, physical feats and manual labor. It gives me such a great feeling of accomplishment, something I don't usually get in college because so much of it is useless when it comes to accomplishing physical things.

Don't get me wrong, I love deep discussions and pondering, but sometimes I just want to put on a pair of holey jeans, a flannel shirt and go help my dad split wood or work on my truck.

And when weather like this comes around, I just have that feeling and can carry it with me and the world has a tougher time getting to me. It's like my own invisible patronus.

Some days there's nothing more I'd rather do than take that someone special out to a pond I know, push off in the boat and just float the evening and night away under the light of the moon and stars. Sheltered by the trees as the gentle wind playfully caresses the surface of the water where fresh air pervades everything.

While I'm nothin short of a dreamer, there's not much better than fall. The feelings it invokes in me money could never buy.

If the walls of a barroom could talk...

"Hey, Janet, do you guys wash the ash trays?"

"Yeah, we do."

"Would you eat ketchup out of one of them?"

Janet looks at the two poor souls dipping fries in ketchup contained in an ash tray.

"Oh, God no, don't do that."

Hysterical laughter fills the table as Janet takes the ketchup-filled ash tray away and a napkin takes its place."

********

Guy 1: ".....Yeah, actually I'm turning 22 tonight."

Guy 2: "Oh yeah? Congratulations!"

Guy 3: "Yeah, this hear (pointing at Guy 1) is the old fucker."

Guy 1: Sheepishly to the table at large, "Everyone, this is my gradeschool principal (Guy 2)."

Guy 2: "Yeah, I'm the old fucker."

Hysterical laughter as Guy 3 tries to pry the foot out of his mouth without falling out of his chair.