He had become friends with Kevin the deli guy. And Brock working the drinks.
On Thanksgiving he had no place to go. Kevin invited him over for a Friendsgiving. It was nice.
Love forgot about the feeling of community. Began wondering why he had thought he would be immune from the its beckoning. The human desire to belong in groups with other people. Did he really think he could drive around for the rest of his life? Alone?
Maybe that's why he had gone with Denver. Why the two of them also went with The Man in the Expensive Suit. What if that was never a mission to begin with but rather an attempt at some sort of community. Three lost men. In a car.
Could he live here in Bloomington? The answer had always been a direct, resounding no. As he walked the street. Empty. Students were all back home. Cleared out the downtown. His boots clung to the slipper side walk. He thought about the question again. The answer was less clear now. It was not a no.
Since he went on the run he had never considered staying anywhere. It had always been a ticking time bomb the moment he arrived someplace new. This was the first place he couldn't hear that ticking.
But it wasn't a yes yet. He would have to play it by ear. He would think about it more over the end of the year. Fewer people would be around. Fewer cars. Quieter. He'd have more space to think.
He never took a day off from work. While his coworkers were always hoping to get a break, Love enjoyed his time at the co-op. He didn't see it as work. So when the holidays came he took on a lot of his coworkers shifts.
He must've spent over 60 hours one week. Standing at the co-op. Getting people through the cash register. People were beginning to know him. He was becoming to know the regulars.