Just Another Day.

As the workday finally comes to a close, I put out my cigar and start to make my way home. I'm heading out a little later than I want to (40 minutes after close), but I'm okay with it; the company of Deb and Doug was too much just to walk away from. Doug has the greatest stories. As I start heading down Michigan Street, I can only picture myself from behind as I walk into the sunset. 14 blocks to go. 'Dramamine' by Modest Mouse comes on my Ipod. I get a text. It's Andy. The realization that we're having ribs for dinner tonight sets in as I read his message, "Where are you? I'm almost done grilling." Shit.. it's going to take a half hour to walk home, and i'm going to miss delicious spare ribs with the Sweet Baby Rays barbeque sauce that I like so much. I text him back, and take off my sandals; they only slow me down. The pavement is still warm from the cloudless day, and even though the pavement hurts my feet, the warmth feels great. I start to jog, I don't want to be late. I turn onto Fancher, and keep a nice rythym. Families are still out in their yards, oblivious to the drunken masses only a few blocks over. I cut a corner. The soft grass is much better than the now-cool pavement. 12 blocks to go. I start running just off the sidewalk. The impact is too much on my heels. 

As I approach High Street (M-20), the traffic is suprisingly light for how many people came out of their caves to enjoy the weather. I cross with relative ease. I zigzag my way through the maze of suburbia, and enter the college housing. Just ahead there is a convenience store I never bothered to go into, despite the fact I've lived just a stone's throw away for 2 years. I throw my sandals on, and approach. A friendly welcome found my way to the cooler. I grab 2 liters of Diet Coke. $4.13 at the counter. The man working is a little older than me, and we make small talk. "Throw it on the card." We wish each other well. 7 blocks to go. 

They seemed to pass in a blur. The sun has now set, and it's dark. I walk oblivious to the partying going on around me. Oblivious to the frat boy already passed out in a bush to the right. Oblivious the the girls walking by with the mini-skirts that would impress their fathers. Oblivious to the discarded cans and the 'all-too-epic' wreckage. The only thing on my mind is the music pumping through my ears, and the longing to get back to the dorm for a nice dinner (for once). 1 more block.

I cross the street to find my RHD and her husband Gabe on the front steps. They ask me what a moose sounds like. Their son looks up at me. I give it my best. They laugh, I continue. I make my way to the back lobby, and through the doors to where the grill is. Nobody is there, but I open the top of the grill anyway. The coals are still hot, and I can see the BBQ despite the darkness. I make my way upstairs, and everyone is waiting for me. 

Just another day.