I remember that night. It was so long ago. Strange that I haven't thought of it in decades. Now that you bring it up. Yes. It all comes back. More vivid than much of what's happened in my
life
more recently. Shocking how that happens.
The old man put down his coffee cup. Took his fingers off of it as if it were glued. Turned to look out the window. A shine beamed off his
cornea
.
What's shocking is. Just how fast life goes. I didn't recognize it until you brought up the night
The Blue Man
disappeared. Once you get past a certain age. You start holding onto things.
He turned from the window and stared back into me. I thought of looking away, but held my gaze.
When you hold onto something in the past. Time seems to go by very fast. I guess I've just realized this now.
I'm sorry for bringing it up.
Don't be. Look I'm not dead yet, kid. He laughed. I did worry maybe that I struck the wrong nerve.
You're a good kid. It was nice seeing you. How's your girl doing?
The man paid for our drinks. Afterwards I walked in the chill breeze thinking about numbers. 25 I was and still being called a
kid
. How old would I need to be until nobody would be able to call me that? I didn't mind him calling me that. He was old enough. Accomplished enough. I guess it's true what they say. If someone is older than you and successful enough, you won't mind being treated like a kid.
When I was actually a kid I couldn't wait until I was a grown up. Then I got to college and it felt like everybody was a kid again. No supervision though. As I thought of all those long nights. In the library and at the parties. I thought of how far away that felt. I had graduated just two years ago though. It wasn't that long off. Yet it felt like lifetimes ago.