Because of her he now liked vegan chili. Every so often she raved about it in their text conversations. The cafe offered two kinds: meat and vegan. She wasn't vegan, but Vegetarian. He liked this about her. He was neither vegetarian or vegan but he thought he could be. It sounded cool... like smoking cigarettes.
Smoking cigarettes outside of a cafe with a cup of half filled with coffee left back at the table was one of his favorite places to be. Especially with the wind chill on overcast days. If there were cool looking dudes and pretty girls in cute outfits walking around, which there always was then it made that coffee even more bitter... in a good way.. and the cigs burn even hotter... of course also in the good way.
But then again there were days when there wasn't anybody attractive walking around. Be at the cafe smoking a cigarette on the patio the wrong day and you would find yourself alone... or worse... surrounded by a bunch of international students.
One time he found himself smoking a cigarette. The evening of a blue sky type of day, the kind that you go to the beach for. There was nobody around, and he thought about smoking another cigarette because he was anxious, but he decided to go back home.
He'd approached his house by foot like this and entered without second guessing himself hundreds of times before. This time around he thought of whether he actually wanted to go inside. A dark pull tugged him that convinced him that if he were to go inside now he'd be stuck there for the rest of the night. He wouldn't do anything but watch TV and drink beer.
To avoid this he kept walking. He promised he'd make one circle around to the park and then the block. Then he could go inside his house. No matter what then he knew he gave himself a chance. He could do it.
After the roundtrip, he was back staring at the same view of the front of his house. That same pull tugged. He decided another round around the block couldn't hurt. So he made another round. And then another after that. A euphoria about being able to walk endlessly filled him. He could walk like this until it got dark.
At first he kept count of his rounds. But eventually he lost count. On one lap while the sun was becoming more scarce, a girl happened to be in the playground at the park near his house.
"You're walking in circles or something?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"What's your deal?"
"What do you mean deal? I have no deal."
"I mean why are you doing that?"
"Is it that weird for somebody to take a walk?"
"No. I mean normally people take a path. They don't walk the same loop over and over again."
"You're right." he pretended to think, but really he didn't know what he would say next and didn't care. "I like this park. That's my reason. That's my deal."
She stopped whatever it was she was doing. Changed her tone and posture.
"I like this park too."
Smoking cigarettes outside of a cafe with a cup of half filled with coffee left back at the table was one of his favorite places to be. Especially with the wind chill on overcast days. If there were cool looking dudes and pretty girls in cute outfits walking around, which there always was then it made that coffee even more bitter... in a good way.. and the cigs burn even hotter... of course also in the good way.
But then again there were days when there wasn't anybody attractive walking around. Be at the cafe smoking a cigarette on the patio the wrong day and you would find yourself alone... or worse... surrounded by a bunch of international students.
One time he found himself smoking a cigarette. The evening of a blue sky type of day, the kind that you go to the beach for. There was nobody around, and he thought about smoking another cigarette because he was anxious, but he decided to go back home.
He'd approached his house by foot like this and entered without second guessing himself hundreds of times before. This time around he thought of whether he actually wanted to go inside. A dark pull tugged him that convinced him that if he were to go inside now he'd be stuck there for the rest of the night. He wouldn't do anything but watch TV and drink beer.
To avoid this he kept walking. He promised he'd make one circle around to the park and then the block. Then he could go inside his house. No matter what then he knew he gave himself a chance. He could do it.
After the roundtrip, he was back staring at the same view of the front of his house. That same pull tugged. He decided another round around the block couldn't hurt. So he made another round. And then another after that. A euphoria about being able to walk endlessly filled him. He could walk like this until it got dark.
At first he kept count of his rounds. But eventually he lost count. On one lap while the sun was becoming more scarce, a girl happened to be in the playground at the park near his house.
"You're walking in circles or something?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"What's your deal?"
"What do you mean deal? I have no deal."
"I mean why are you doing that?"
"Is it that weird for somebody to take a walk?"
"No. I mean normally people take a path. They don't walk the same loop over and over again."
"You're right." he pretended to think, but really he didn't know what he would say next and didn't care. "I like this park. That's my reason. That's my deal."
She stopped whatever it was she was doing. Changed her tone and posture.
"I like this park too."
