052302

 

San Antonio, TX

Thursday May 23, 2002

                   Duuuuuude, just when I thought I was having too much fun, a day like today comes along.

                   Let’s see where do I start? Remember that I said I had planned to get Stuart from my ex-girlfriend’s apartment today? Well, I damn well did. Check it out.

                   I originally had planned to take the bus from my work to the intersection where the donut shop is, then transfer onto the other bus that would take me to my ex-girlfriend’s apartment. Boy, did my plans change that morning. I woke up at seven forty five which gave me plenty of time to catch the bus at eight twelve. Remember, the stop is right by my apartment. I went outside and waited. The bus was running a little late. I thought to myself, "Damn, my whole day is going to get ruined." I sat there for a while, then I saw the bus going in the other direction(not to the donut-shop). The end-of-the-line for that route, where he has to turn around, is over at my old work. My old work is like ten minutes away on the bus. The traffic was heavy because there’s a school nearby, so I saw the bus from afar, which gave me just enough time to get on it and ride it around. I had still planned on going to the donut shop stop. I was halfway to my old work when I realized I can jump on the other bus that goes to my work, it’ll let me off close to my ex-girlfriend’s too. I would just have to walk like half a mile, no biggee. See, you have lots of options once you master the bus- system. I don't need a car!
                   I got off at the Sonic and started walking to my ex-girlfriend’s. I got there at about eight forty. I knew she was at work, and that Stuart would be there by himself. I walked up the stairs to her front door, pulled out my keychain and I was pissed. I remembered that my ex-girlfriend had taken her stupid key back the night before. I thought, "What the hell do I do now?" Then it hit me. I still have plenty of time. I could go to my ex-girlfriend’s work and get the key back from her(her work is on the same bus route as her apartments), then come back and get Stuart. I stopped at the leasing office of her apartments and used the payphone and called my ex-girlfriend. She was cool with my idea and reminded me that I was suppose to go to Easter Seals at nine to get some food that lady wanted to give me. I was like, "Oh yeah!" So I caught the bus and got to Easter Seals around nine fifteen. I walked in and sure enough, there were two grocery-store bags waiting for me with pasta, rice, chopped pineapples, tuna-fish and some other good shit. FOOD!
                   I stopped and talked to the lady, and once again she told me to stay clean. I told her, "I know you knew I was stoned yesterday, you were giving me that same look my mom used to give me." I reminded her that Easter Seals is there to rehabilitate people and make them happy. I informed her that I could now recognize that there was a time and a place for everything, and I had felt that festive party yesterday was a "smokeable" event.

                   Where was I now, hmm. Oh yeah I had gone to Easter Seals to pick up the food. I had the bags in-tow and I started back to the transfer-center. Luckily, the driver of the bus I caught going to my ex-girlfriend’s house was that cool dude that was going to let me bring my dog on the bus, Ron. I talked to him about my plan. I told him that I had figured out that he would be driving the bus when he passed by my ex-girlfriend’s at twelve thirty five. It was only nine thirty, remember? I told him about having to go back to the mall, where my ex-girlfriend works and getting the key back from her. He said cool and took me to the mall. When I arrived at the mall(10:24am), I went to the store where my ex-girlfriend works, went up to the third floor, and surprised her. Her and some coworkers were just about to go to lunch(they start work at seven and get off at twelve). I asked her what she was going to eat and she told me she was going to get one taco and a glass of water, because she didn’t have that much money. I remembered that I had a received a check for twenty dollars from the rehabilitation commission, to buy a bus-pass. I had cashed it yesterday and since I had already bought a bus-pass, it could be spending money.
                   So nice ‘ol me offered to buy her something with the five dollars I had left. She always gets this chicken-Caesar salad that costs like four forty five. I told her that we could split one. She told me no, that I could get a whole one for me and that she would still get a taco. I could tell she wanted the salad but she didn’t want for me not to get something good, since it was my last five dollars. I told her not to worry about it, that everything would be alright, and gave her a wink. She never takes me seriously so she hmmphed and turned around and got in line for her taco. Soon afterwards, it’s my turn to order at the salad place. I ask for a chicken-Caesar salad and he started making it. I then leaned over and told him, "Excuse me sir, my girlfriend and I are going to share that, please feel free to be generous." Boy did he hook us up good.
                   After that I went to catch the bus to her apartment. I arrived at her place around eleven, went to her apartment and got Stuart. We walked to the front and I sat on the base of this sign with Stuart and the groceries, waiting for the bus. Soon I saw Ron and his bus pull up and I jumped on with Stuart(I forgot the groceries, aww). We rode to where we had to transfer to the other bus. Now I didn’t think the operator of the next bus would let Stuart on so I started the almost-mile walk home. I then craved a cigarette. I walked back and sat at the bus stop smoking, in case the other bus came by so I would at least ask if he would let Stuart on. The other bus eventually came and the driver opened the door. I asked him, "Sir, would you mind if I rode with my dog? We are not going that far and he is a well-trained dog. He said, "I am sorry but we cannot allow pets on the bus unless they’re small enough to hold in your lap." I said, "He already thinks he is a lap-dog." I didn’t get any sympathy from that man until Stuart let out a whimper, prompting the driver to change his mind. "Okay, just this one trip, get on." I was like, "Badass," and got on the bus with Stuart. There was one other bus patron sitting at the front of the bus and that was it. The rest of the bus was empty. Stuart and I went and sat down at the back of the bus. Mission accomplished. I got Stuart to my apartment with no trouble at all, and I did not need a car.
                   Just then, this awesome idea came over me. There is this girl there that I have known since high-school. Her name is Sarah. Actually she used to go get online at this place called Cyberfun too, where I used to go(back in ‘95) with my good friend Brian(BJ). Cyberfun was this new place where these two dudes had like ten computers all networked together to play games. They also had two computers with AOL accounts that people would use to get online. That’s where my cyber-life began.

                   From the first time I saw her, there was an instant attraction. I thought/think she was/is beautiful, but back then I would never talk to girls. I used to have a really low self-esteem because I felt I was too tall and skinny. Well anyway, we didn’t do much else than just chat back then. We were acquaintances, we were aware of each other’s existence, but that’s was about it.

                   I rode the bus home and entered my apartment and got on my computer and started writing this entry in my journal. About thirty minutes passed and I got the urge to get out of the house. I was niccin’ bad. I caught the bus to my old work where I was sure I would be able to bum some cigarettes. The bus stopped at the bus-circle at my work and when I got off I asked the bus driver if he was going to wait for a while. He told me he was leaving in fourteen minutes. I though, "Cool, hopefully I’ll have time to find Sarah, if she works today." Now, I remembered that she used to be on the insurance project years ago and I vaguely recalled that she had become an insurance agent. I also remembered that the last time I worked there, there was a big switch with our branch(which was at the one-story building closer to be bus stop) and the insurance branch(which was in the four story building across the street from the one-story). I was just going on a hunch of her being there. Hell I didn’t even know if she was still working there or not.
                   As luck had it that day, I walked up the stairs to the entrance of the building, and walked past branch two. There she was! Kickass! I saw her through the windows outside. She didn’t see me so I went to the restroom before I was going to talk to her. After I urinated and washed my hands, I walked up to her and said, "Hi, Sarah" and waved at her. She looked a bit freaked out. Sarah has been working at that telemarketing place where I worked for years now. She had become a licensed insurance agent and was making decent money. So today while I was coincidentally at my old work, on the bus, I had some time to kill before the next bus came. So I got this idea in my head that I would go see if she was working today and go up and ask her if she wanted to hang out sometime.
                   Sure enough, there she was. I walked into the branch and went, "Hi Sarah, hey listen, I was wondering if you had a boyfriend that would mind you hanging out with another dude, just as friends of course." She smiled and said, "No I don’t, do you mean now?" I said, "No way, just sometime in the near future." She then gave me her email address and as soon as I get my cable modem back up in a couple days, I’ll see what happens.
                   After that happened I walked back to the bus-circle and looked at my watch. Thirteen minutes had passed only. I was able to get on the bus right when I finished my business there. Dude, that is the best! It’s like having your own chauffeur.

                   Now I have never been able to date. I can’t be the same way with two girls at one time. I would feel guilty. Sure, I’ve had girls who I’ve referred to as my girlfriends, but they weren’t really. We might kiss and mess around and stuff, but it was never a real relationship. I was with my ex-girlfriend Chasity for four years straight. We have come to a mutual agreement to, I don’t want to call it a break-up, but we have just agreed to stop living together and have the freedom to see other people, but we would still stay best friends. No romance though. To the end, Chasity is my best friend and we still plan on hanging out and stuff. The relationship isn’t over, it’s just totally different now. We both recognized that we were different people now, incompatible even, and that it was time to move on. We both have to learn the independence-lesson and that will never happen if we always have someone there taking care of the other. If you want to call it a break-up go ahead, but we still plan on keeping contact. Neither of us initiated it, we just saw something needed to change, so we changed it. I moved out to my own apartment.

                   Well anyway, back to Sarah. She seemed totally cool about it, like I expected her to be. Hell, she should’ve. I feel the way I asked her made it seem totally innocent and sincere, which it was. I didn’t have any ulterior-motives in asking her. I really wanted to know if we could just hang out. I don’t know, for all I know we might be incompatible too, but I think you have to be at least good-acquaintances first before you can become better friends. You have to start somewhere, you know. I hope I’m not sounding presumptuous at all, I really just wanted to initiate a friendship, no matter what the degree of it was. I felt since we at least had a very small history, that we could build off the familiarity. It’d be cool even we just chatted on the computer. She just always seemed really cool.
                   Afterwards I caught the bus to Thundercloud subs and got hooked up with my usual, a large roast beef sandwich with Thunder Sauce, ranch dressing, mustard and mayonnaise. Since it was the large I just ate half and saved the other half for later.
                   I caught the bus back to my old place of work, it was around six now. I thought, hmm, maybe if Sarah is still there I can see if she’s hungry and if she is I can offer her the half of the yummy sub I had left. I really was kind of full, and hell, it’s not like I paid for it or anything. I didn’t see Sarah anywhere.
                   I spotted this dude who I had seen on the bus a couple days ago. He was on his way to the bathroom and passed me up. I told him hey and started following him. I needed to go too. Just then as we turned a corner, there was Sarah. I said hi and asked her if she was hungry. She told me she wasn’t, that she had just eaten and she said she had to go. I thought, "Cool, I can eat it later."
                   I went to wait for the bus home. I felt like I had a full day and it was time to rest now. I got home like ten minutes later and thought, "Damn, I’m bored I wonder if the dude, John, that lives behind me, is busy."
                   The first day I moved in I had turned my CD player on the minute I got there and was playing it fairly loud. I got to thinking and since the speakers are right by the wall in the dining room, I walked around the apartment building and knocked on the door of the people who lived directly behind me. This cool-looking dude opened the door and immediately shook my hand. I asked him if the music was too loud and that if it was I would graciously turn it down. He said, "Not at all, actually I commend your taste in music." I had my badass Weezer CD playing and he liked it!
                   I met a new neighbor who was cool! He is a graphic designer and has a Macintosh. His name is John. I told him to stop by whenever he wanted to and went back to my apartment. But, that was the first day I had moved in, I have already lived here five days now. I casually went over and knocked on John’s door. He answered, said hi, and invited me in. His wife was there and she seemed real cool too. They have a small boy too. I chilled out there for like an hour sharing opinions and having debates. It was fun as hell. I am glad I am still able to make friends these days.

                   Dude, now I’m getting paranoid about how much fun I’ve been having lately. Is it the calm before the storm? Is something really bad going to happen soon?

                   Nah, just don’t believe it and it won’t happen. I have the power!

Next day..