It was bitter cold today, the kind of cold that only mid-January in central Indiana can force to sneak up on you like this. Yesterday the low was in the low 50's so when James suited up for a
ruitine trip to the pharmacy today he donned nothing more than brown and blue flip flops
apon his innocent toes.
Theres something about Indiana that makes one think its safe to wear
flipflops in the midst of winters games.
Nevertheless aside from the usual traffic, James had an empty mind. Driving always seemed more of a task for him than he thought it should be. Maybe it was his collision with that bright red Ford F-150, or his multiple roadside breakdowns. Whatever the cause, he didn't like to speed unless the situation absolutely called for it, and his eyes always went in a circle from the rear view mirror to the side mirror to the speedometer to the other mirror to the car ahead and back to the rear view mirror. He knew his technique was over thought and dangerously hypnotic, but he couldn't stop himself from doing it.
"1. 16. 55. 1. 16. 55..." he chanted to himself as he exited his vehicle and noticed the frighteningly cold air that the garage had shielded him from we he entered his vehicle a mere eight minutes ago. "Fuck! should've changed my shoes" he thought as he bolted through the Star Wars automatic doors. He called them that because on a normal day, one were he donned the proper shoes for the occasion, he would motion with his hand slightly before the doors opened so it would look as though he used "the force" to open them.
In his rush to avoid frostbite he forgot the sequence of numbers he longed to so much to memorize before he reached the pharmacy counter. he pulled out an index card from the pocket of his black wool coat and read it three times before thinking once again to himself "1. 16. 55." It may seem trivial but to him it was necessary, for this trip was not for his own medications but for the loving mother he had learned to love as his own. She was having a rough day, well actually she was having a rough month. She was a senior nurse at the local hospital and so she could call in her own perscriptions. He had agreed to pick them up for her.
You see 1-16-55 was her birthday and he didnt want to seem like a junky trying to steal some lady's meds, so it was imperative that he memorize that day. He felt so bad for not knowing it because it had only been ten days since they celebrated, or attempted to celebrate her birthday.
The day itself was burned in his head, but not the numbers. It started off like any others had for him recently. An alarm clock, a shower and a kiss goodbye. He filled this day alone with dish washing and livingroom straightening. All the normal things someone would do for a parent's special day. Everything seemed to be shaping up perfect until she got home from work. He threw open his arms as she walked through the door. This was supposed to be a hug of joy and celebration but instead it was an embrace of sadness.
She had been told that she would be losing her job. On her birthday she was told she was losing her job. And he was the first to hold her as she stepped into her home. He didnt know what to do or say. What do you say to someone whos happy day was just ripped up and tossed away by the economy? Noone knows what todo in those first few moments, so he just stood after the hug waiting for his girlfriend Ann to do or say anything to her mother.
Its those kinds of days that you dont forget. Today wasn't one of those days for him, but when he woke up he could tell she was reliving those same feelings from ten days before. Going to the pharmacy was the least he could do, because although she wasnt his physical mother, she was his literal one and she had a beautiful soul that took him in in his time of need, so he could do this for her in hers.
