$18.

I left my house with $18, my pipe and an intention of getting bread, aromate and sausage.

It was bitter cold. The cold that forced one’s hands to fight over which one gets to wrap around the warmth of a well packed, well burning wooden pipe.

The walk to the butcher was about 6 blocks. We had many inches of snow last week followed by rain this past weekend; I walked on over the ice. It was 6 treacherous blocks.

The butcher does not allow smoking in his shop, thank goodness, for as much as I like sausage and I like pipes, there are some things that belong separate. Ironically, they smoke the sausages…but I digress. Bearing this in mind and not wishing to stand in the blistering cold while my pipe simmered down, I carefully timed how much time I would need for it to self-extinguish. Brilliantly, I arrived at the butcher with a pipe that had quit and hankering for food that would not. In the back of my mind I could hear her voice reminding me of all the damage that my eating habits were doing to me and how I should be eating some organic crap that tastes like sand and mud evenly mixed.

‘sorry for the inconvenience, we are closed on the 19th for remodeling,” the sign said, ‘are you kidding me?’ I asked myself.

Utter dejection was born in this moment. (not really, but I was quite sad)

I had intended to go to my favorite bookstore which was across the street, now I was determined. The lights were very dim inside, but in my mind I knew that he was open until 7p (he always was). It was a shade after 6p. Without looking I pressed the door, fully expecting it to be open, it was. I walked inside as one does into their own home…(finally, I am back!) I had stepped about 6 steps and was nearing my shelf when I heard, ‘hello? We are kind of closed. The lights are off.’ Good point, the lights were off.

If utter dejection was not born at the anti-sausage moment, it surely was delivered here! (again, not really, but I was worse off than before)

‘I just want to see if you have any new Lewis and Tolkien!’ I heard myself plead. (ugg, how pathetic) ‘Oh,’ he said, I think remembering me. ‘When were you here last?’ it had been three weeks, and he did have new stuff. I bought it.

I ended up at home with $18 worth of old books, 5 old books; no sausage, cheese, bread, or the like.


djmase

02.19.08