| An Evening Stroll Quite abruptly I had left my room without saying a word to my roommate who was talking to his girlfriend at the time and I figured should not be bothered. Without giving heed to proper etiquette about the door I quickly walked through the common area and down the stairs and was out of the building at last. The night was quite moist; it had rained earlier so there was a light fog. Now that I was outdoors in the cool air I slowly made my way to the road. On the way I passed through the parking lot of my friend’s building and the notion to see whether she wanted to come along had crossed my mind. She wasn’t the most attractive woman but she wasn’t unattractive either; indeed she was quite average physically, but that didn’t really matter. You see, I simply enjoyed talking to her. Unfortunately, I did not know her room number. Since I only knew her building and not her room I decided to continue on by without giving it another thought. Of course, her company would have undoubtedly increased the level of enjoyment to be had that evening. Her building had passed (well, I had passed it but that doesn’t really matter) and I was well on my way to the street. As I reached the street I waited for a couple cars to pass and then began to cross while almost being struck by a large one I had not seen. Now across the street I walked into the parking lot of a small restaurant and thought to myself that if my friend was with me we would have probably gone in the less illuminated direction. I am uncertain of the reason for taking the different route for we were not so close as to need privacy nor was I afraid to venture into the darkness alone; it had simply been that way. Anyway, I don’t really understand a reason for lingering on this subject or why anyone would be interested in it. The car dealership was right beside the restaurant and cutting through it was shorter than going around, so I did. I had walked through this dealership multiple times over the past year without incident and, well, this time was no different, though I do recall climbing up a large mound of snow last winter which was quite entertaining. Reaching the sidewalk I looked toward the Episcopal Church and decided that, much like many times before, that would be my destination, but first I would have to pass by the gas station. It was a Sunoco, which I feel overprices its gas but then again who the hell cares since it’s the closest one to school and hence the most convenient. This particular Sunoco had a mini-mart and a Taco Bell but at this time for some peculiar reason it was closed, not that it mattered because I wasn’t really hungry nor would I ever purchase food from such a place. In less than a minute I was past this fuel oasis and well on my way to the church. At this point I reached the bridge that spanned the river, it was the first of two and soon I’d find that I would not cross the other. The river itself was beautiful as always with its only detractors being the traces of civilization that were visible. While not a very deep river it was rather dark since there was no moon that evening, however the darkness was not repellant as one would think, in fact, it was extremely inviting and if I had my bathing suit (my very tight European style suit) I would have hopped right in regardless of the “No Swimming” signs which I had come to abhor. On the bridges guardrail in between the rails there were various arachnids who had constructed their webs and were now sitting in the middle for them no doubt making some attempt to regulate their body temperature for they usually go into hiding with hopes of ensnaring some hapless insect. Approaching the church I saw a car pulling out with a woman inside who seemed a little uptight even for a religious staff member. This woman gave me the most menacing and suspicious look I have ever seen as though an individual like me was unable to appreciate the beauty that lay beyond that cage for a god most likely thinking that I intended to steal something from inside. Making my way toward the back I had this outstanding notion that if the Christians had seen they would crucify me on the spot just a few yards from one of my favorite areas. This foreboding instinct prompted me to begin my return journey, well that, and the fact that I was getting bored and my cognitive exploits were beginning to dwindle. The return began more slowly than the departure and proceeded slower too as I didn’t feel it necessary to increase my pace. On this return voyage I saw many people, no, not people really, but children. If only you could see them, so oblivious and almost innocent, and so intent on enjoying themselves. They were off to the parties which were undoubtedly stocked with the cheapest of beers like Busch or Genny and crowded with more buffoons and degenerates than one would see in a raunchy strip club. Of course, none of this really matters as only refuse goes to such parties and they are insignificant. Soon I found myself back at the campus going past my female friend’s building once more, of course in the opposite direction this time. Oddly, I began to think of her again and how regrettable it was that I did not know her room number for the stroll would have lasted much longer and would have been undeniably more exciting. By now I was nearing my building and I quickly rid myself of those thoughts that would definitely torment me that evening. Once inside the building I made my way to my room where my roommate was occupied in the stall. He exited when he was finished and washed his hands, he then asked me where I had gone. I told him I had gone for a walk to which he replied that I was crazy for he thought it was cold outside. I told him it was warm and that in fact it was nicer outdoors than in our room. Then I began to write and he began to watch Scarface. |