Random Moment

The air is crisp. The sun feels warm as long as the breeze doesn’t cut across my skin – giving me a chill and forcing brittle leaves to shower down in spurts. Sitting at a wooden table – my nose in a dull book. A cute girl sits at the table next to me. I shift a little so that I sneak glances at her over the top of my book – relatively confident that she couldn’t see my eyes through my sunglasses if she happens to look my way. I have to adjust how I’m sitting more than once.

Some guy sits between the corner of my table and another table. He pulls out a book and reads it – eschewing a table to set it on. A few times, I feel as if I can see him looking past me in my periphery. Two slightly large women sit at a table in front of me. One screams when a spider scrambles across her things. Her friend laughs for a full two minutes. This is okay. I could spend a little time doing this every day of my life.

Occasionally, my attention drifts to the regulars and college students frequenting the coffee shop. It’s a beautiful fall day. My knee is still sore from a bicycle accident earlier that day. A tear in my jeans, but it’s mostly pushed to the back of my mind. I overhear snippets of conversation – but not enough to know what anyone is really talking about. I can’t help but wonder what close friends talk about – or what casual friends talk about. What those people who meet here everyday talk about. Most are students, I suppose, bitching about papers and classes and teachers. Some aren’t. I want to ask this girl on my left what she’s reading, but I know I won’t be familiar with it. I will run out of things to say within seconds.

Halloween is less than a week away. I have a single party to go to. The night BEFORE Halloween. Older friends. I don’t expect too much excitement. The last party I attended was over a year ago. Not too many of my friends have parties. I have no actual plans for Halloween night. I would love to meet some new people. See a scary movie. Get laid. I would really love to get wasted. Not caring about how I’m going to get home or what kind of fool I’m going to make of myself. Maybe I’ll take a flask full of zombie.

Some guy at the movies last week recognized me and said “hi.” I recognized him, too, but I can’t remember where from. Where the hell do I know him from? Gah. This is still killing me. He seemed really nice.

There’s been too much death recently. No one I’m really close to. Mostly friends of friends. I suppose it’s hard to enjoy Halloween when something like that is looming over you. I'm on my own just now. I have lots of plans. Too many plans really. More than I can accomplish, it seems. But this moment right here, this moment is okay.