Democrat, Illinois - The ElectroLounge

78 !
Got to get there. Where? There. It’s dark. The city is closed. Dark. No tick tock.
Broken clock.
What time is it? Got to get there. Middle of the night. No tick tock.
A sadness that it had to come here, that it could not go on.
He finds himself running before dawn, fleeing before he was awake to know it. Fast, faster
than he can keep up for long but he does. He is terrified & doesn’t know why. Doesn’t
know how far he’d come. He slept in his clothes, all he’s got left.
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lxxviii.
“Now that was a good episode,” declares one of the less sodden drinkers at the bar.
The others nod & one shakily raises a mug.
“Think he’ll be back?”
“Who knows? Any other show on TV I’d say sure thing. This one? He might be back
as a man, a cyclone, a purple grasshopper!”
“A chunk of lava?”
“A dancing girl’s left nipple!”
Everyone cheers at that.
Mr. Bob the barman has returned but still isn’t tending bar. The regulars leave him
be & sort out the business of watering by themselves.
He wonders why there’s even a bar anymore. Is it just for him? Sentiment. Not
Soulard’s style often.
“No it’s not. But maybe this time.”
“How long you been dry, Son?”
“Going toward four years. I dream about drinking again sometimes. Bad dreams.”
“I got those for a long time. Just lingering farts from your past.”
I laugh.
“It’s true!” We both laugh.
Dylan reads the unfolded scrap over again, a date, a time, an address. Today. Later.
Near downtown. The job his. Wash your face. Show up & smile. Easy work. You can pay off
the uniform later. No worries, kid, we know this place, they take good care of people there.
It will be nights for awhile, days later maybe, if you want them. Bring a radio or a book.
Bring a sandwich & a can of pop. Bring the newspaper. Wear walking shoes. Don’t worry.
The easy part is washing up. Bring a traveler you learn the basics: bathrooms, soup
kitchens, safe places to sleep, places you can spend your hours.
But he has no watch & this bothers him. Clocks. Tick tock.
I’m going so my friends won’t be disappointed. They want me to live in a room.
Maybe they will visit. I’ll keep going to the library. I like it there.
I like it here too. But I can’t stay.