Hello August.
On the hottest day of recent memory, Jenn and I go to the airport to pick up Jenny, who's been in Montana for two weeks. Yes, we've talked each day and she sent me a postcard with a moose on it, but the distance was an odd beast to wrangle and both of us approach the reunion with slight apprehension. Will the spark still be there? Will we recognize each other? As she comes around the side of the terminal, the good news is that the answer to both those questions is Yes. Maybe it takes a little while to remember what it feels like to kiss. Maybe we have to at least mention the concerns we had so that we can move beyond them. Everything is fine. Everything falls right back into place. She even got her picture (and outfit) in Midtown Monthly. We spend the afternoon together as if she'd only been gone for a night. We lay about in her bed for a while, remembering our bodies. We listen to the H. Letham CD (though I have to turn it off when Jenny and I get intimate, because as much as I like Shaun's band, it was strange to hear him in the background). We get food at the Co-Op and get a ride out to Roseville from her dad to pick up her car from his house, then come back to Midtown for drinks at Bows and Arrows and a mellow evening at the apartment with the roommates. It instantly feels like nothing's changed. But the truth is that everything is changing, and quickly. We've entered August at full-sprint just to keep up.
I'm very happy that Jenny is back. I'm happy that it feels right. I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye again, but hopefully this time we'll have the chance to make it a good one.
H. Letham's final show was at Luigi's Fun Garden on Monday night.
I worked my usual morning shift with ever-paranoid Cody, with the highlight being the visit from Kristen (an old employee who moved to Portland) and the band Maps and Atlases, who, knowing Shaun was a fan, I had autograph a coffee cup that I gave to him later at the show. I met up with Jade for a game of chess after I clocked out. Everything was fine and dandy and I played my best, with both of us ending up with just a couple pieces and limited options, and then Nick showed up. So... So Nick's a really neat person. He's watched hours upon hours of documentaries online, lived a rather colorful life, and always has something relevant to share about most topics. That's nice. But he's got Bro Blood in him, and that's the part of him that I really can't stand. When he decided it was okay to stand next to the table where Jade and I were playing chess and point out moves that she should do, standing there for the final twenty minutes, I got the feeling he wasn't there to impress me... If you know what I mean. I didn't want any part of this weird male-dominance dynamic. Chess is a private game. Mind vs. Mind. It's not a spectator sport. It's not a game where people want advice. It's just not. So anyway, the game ended in stale-mate. Then Jade and I left the coffee-shop and smoked a bowl in the backyard of my house, without Nick. This decrepit, deaf old dog came wandering into the yard like a ghost and we went inside to get away from it. Maybe a half-hour later, Cody came by with his own herb and we three sat on the floor of my room and God-knows what we rambled about, probably conspiracy theories and drug trips, and it was fun hanging out with them and listening to music, passing the time before Shaun's show and getting my pre-party started right.
After they left, I had time to edit the last bit of my story. I sent it out to a couple people for editing. Felt like sending my baby to college. Then Iven arrived and we got some beer from Gross Out, started drinking, smoking, talking about apartments, relationships, his brother's experiences in Guatemala... Kelly arrived not long afterward. More smoking. Drinking. Talking. I was in a really good mood. Everything felt great and life was perfect and I loved all my friends. We walked over to Luigi's just in time to grab a beer, a slice of pizza, and say hello to Shaun before his band went on at 8:30. They rocked the house. It was bittersweet to watch and I'm glad I had all those other chances to see them in the past, to watch them improve and try new things and have fun and gain new fans. Daniel was there. Patsy, too, though I felt bad because she's been a customer-friend for a long time and I only just recently learned her name. We stayed for Shaun's show, then the two bands that followed, and I lost track of how much beer I was drinking. Afterward, a few of us went back to my house and smoked a little in the backyard. It was care-free and wonderful.
The hangover at 5:30 AM wasn't.
Knowing Jenny was coming home that day, though, was a good cure.
Bronwyn paid to get my story printed. It looks like awesome. And in other news updates: Drew finally broke up with Amber. This is Lucky's last week at Old Soul. I haven't met her yet, but Jenny's friend from Korea, Megan, is also in Sacramento for the next three weeks. I'm almost done reading "Neverwhere." Orientation for Sac State is on August 24, so I asked for the day off. I wonder if there are textbooks I should be buying...
- Left to Fry
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