THE WALK

THE SNOWFLAKES FELL TO EARTH SO SOFTLY THEY SEEMED MORE LIKE FEATHERS. THE STREETS WERE ALL BUT EMPTY THIS COLD DECEMBER NIGHT.AS FAR AS I COULD SEE I WAS THE ONLY ONE OUT WALKING.I LOVED NIGHTS LIKE THIS WHEN EVERYTHING IS SO QUIET NOT A HINT OF A BREEZE JUST THE CRUNCHING OF SNOW BENEATH MY BOOTS.

IN BETWEEN THE GLOW OF THE STREET LAMPS I WAS THROWN INTO DARKNESS, BUT MY SENSES LED THE WAY AS I KNEW THE STREETS OF THIS CITY LIKE I KNEW MY NAME.I BELIEVE I COULD FIND MY WAY PAST THE LIBRARY AND FOOTBALL FIELD AROUND THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THROUGH THE WOODS TO MY HOUSE BLINDFOLDED.

I SPOKE SOFTLY OUT LOUD AS I WALKED NOT THAT I CARED IF SOMEONE HEARD ME, I JUST LIKED TALKING SOFTLY IT WAS A NARRATION OF SORTS.EVERY WALK TOOK THE SAME ROUTE, AND THAT LED ME TO THE HALFWAY POINT A 24 HOUR DINER CALLED DONS.I TOOK MY USUAL PLACE AT THE COUNTER AND WAS GREETED BY LORI WHO HAD BEEN WORKING AT DONS SINCE IT OPENED FORTY YEARS AGO. SHE DIDN’T SMILE AS MUCH AS SHE ONCE DID, BUT SHE STILL REMEMBERED WHAT I WANTED SETTING A PIECE OF APPLE PIE AND COFFEE IN FRONT OF ME BEFORE I COULD GET MY COAT OFF.

THERE WERE NEVER MORE THAN A FEW PEOPLE IN HERE AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT AND DON WAS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN SO I ASSUMED HE WAS IN THE BACK SOMEWHERE TAKING A SNOOZE.GUESS HE KNEW LORI COULD HANDLE THINGS.THERE WAS NO SMALL TALK JUST A FEW PEOPLE DRINKING COFFEE AND EATING PIE. DONS WAS AS MUCH A PART OF MY ROUTINE AS WALKING AROUND TOWN. I PAID MY TAB AND NODDED TO LORI AS I WENT BACK OUT INTO THE COLD NIGHT AND BEGAN THE SECOND PART OF MY WALK.

MY NEXT STOP WAS THE LITTLE MOM AND POP GROCERY STORE THAT WASN’T OPEN YET BUT THE NEWSPAPER TRUCK WAS THERE EVERY NIGHT RIGHT ON TIME. I NODDED TO THE DRIVER WHO HANDED ME A PAPER THEN STUCK THE FIFTY CENTS I HANDED TO HIM IN HIS OVERALL POCKET.I ROLLED THE PAPER UP IN A TIGHT ROLL LIKE I USE TO DO WHEN I HAD A PAPER ROUTE AS A KID. THEN PUT IT UNDER MY ARM AND WALKED ON.THE SNOW WAS FALLING FASTER NOW SO I WALKED A LITTLE FASTER MY BOOTS SOUNDING LIKE A MILITARY CADENCE.

AS I OPENED THE DOOR TO MY HOUSE, THE SMELL OF BACON FILLED MY SENSES MY WIFES SOFT VOICE GREETING ME WITH A KISS ON THE CHEEK. “NICE WALK” SHE ASKED. I NODDED AS I SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE OPENING THE NEWSPAPER, PATIENTLY WAITING FOR MY NEXT WALK.

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