There Might Be Coffee
The morning after I woke up relaxed, and slowly got up out of bed.
I wandered into the shower and started reflecting on the past day.
All in all it wasn't all that bad, my wife hates me but the kids are okay for now...It'll all work out I'm sure.
I scrubbed good and hard til my skin was a bit raw.
After I dried off I went through my laptop finding no new emails from my boss except the usual crap that somehow made it into my inbox.
I remembered the idea to call old friends who probably didn't even know my name anymore and scouted out my contacts list.
A couple of, Who the hell is that?(s) later I found the friend's numbers who had almost escaped memory.
Ring, ring, ring...
"Uhh Hello?" said someone on the other line.
I cheated and glanced at the name on the computer, "Steve?"
"Huh...Sorry wrong number." he replied.
"Whoops thanks." The call ended and I tried to think over what I remember hearing from Steve.
Don't think that was him sounded like he smoked too many cigarettes.
The next number struck a cord and I kinda liked the guy when I knew him.
I sat staring at the phone til I realized two full minutes passed by.
I must have been swimming in odd memories I wasn't too sure about.
I dialed in the number, "Hey War Head?"
"BOMBS AWAY!" he screamed into the phone.
"Warren, I mean damn man has it been that long...You married now?"
"Haha me married? You know me always, flyin', drivin', burnin', blazin'."
Shit hes still baked...
"Yeah man." I replied.
"So what up man...I know you didn't just call me to get some pot outta my drawer!"
I hesitated in conversation, "I uhh nah not that...I'm actually running away, well driving away...Thought I'd go out to Cali...and I do remember you saying you were gonna move out there sometime..."
"Oh I see...Well the situation is a little unusual...I have a girlfriend, doin' the college thing out here in Richmond. Things are actually pretty damn good out here, like I don't even really have to try anymore. It almost feels like too easy. But yeah I donno about you staying here, shit ain't cheap around here."
And by cheap he meant he had no money at all.
"Well I'm actually doin' pretty good with that, working in Graphic Design for a web based company..." I said.
"Graphic Design? Don't you mean like the ads and all that, the pop-ups, the pop ups!"
I nearly barked out, "No not the pop ups, its for the visual appearance of their website."
"Oh cool. Well I got class in like an hour so gotta get movin', let me know when you're out here man we'll go out to the bay knock back on some of grandpa's old juice!"
"Sounds good I'll talk to you later." and the call ended.
I silently regretted calling him I didn't know exactly what he meant by unusual but I pictured a shack on the beach with a small greenhouse on the side, with people coming and going for his pot. So If anything it was a destination, Richmond, California.
The next numbers I called were family, and though I felt nervous calling them so randomly I dialed in and waited for the tone.
"HelllllllllO!"
"Aunty?" I asked.
"Whose this?" she asked.
"Guess and I'll tell ya!" I said.
"OH I KNOW WHO THIS IS!"
I broke out in honest laughter.
"How are you Aunty?"
"Old." she said.
"Aww don't say that! Everything cool?" I asked.
"When I'm not moving, yes! haha"
"Sorry..." I said.
"No don't be sorry, everythings fine. We haven't heard from you in what..."
I could see her counting her fingers for the number of years we hadn't spoken.
"Almost ten years!" I shouted.
"I think you're right!"
I didn't bother going over spillt milk and just said, "I'm comin' out there for a vacation. Should be out there early next week!" I said.
"You're kidding, aren't you married now and kids?" she asked.
"Well yeah they are getting all grown up now, especially Jake."
"Oh wow how old are they now?" she asked.
"Seven and Ten. Jake and Miana, shes the younger one, definitely has her mother's passion in her."
"Thats great! They grow up so fast don't they?"
"Faster then I wanted them too to be honest."
She laughed joyously.
"They are a handful thats for sure."
"So when are you coming out here? We should have dinner ready and the kids are they coming too?"
I hesitated answering waiting for the disappointment to leave.
"No this is just a vacation for me. Needed a break and...I really felt like I deserve one for once."
She sighed on the other end, "I know just how you feel."
"So I'll keep in touch I'm driving out there, I'm somewhere in Pennsylvania right now, its a long drive."
"Okay talk to you later honey!"
"See ya soon Aunty!"
"Byeeeee."
The call ended.
I went through the rest of my contacts list and shook my head remembering petty details about all these people I didn't really care to know. None of the other numbers looked promising and I couldn't imagine that any of the ones I did care for would ever make a move out of their parent's houses. For most of them I knew it wasn't really a choice.
I shut the laptop down realizing the time, a quarter past 9. I was hungry and figured they'd have continental breakfast.
What the hell is continental breakfast anyway? If I go to another continent is breakfast going to be different on another continent?...Yeah probably.
I packed up and put everything in the car, gave the room a once over and went to the lobby.
I could see the early risers already picked away pretty much everything.
There was a shriveled up bacon strip that nobody wanted and I was so prideful that I didn't even bother.
I went to the front desk, "Hey uhh is there any breakfast left?" I asked.
"Sorry sir, there might be coffee though."
She pointed over to one of those black aluminum coffee grinders, low & behold there was still hot coffee.
It was enough to get me going, I checked out and drove off into the dawn.
I breathed easy, with my nerves still winding up into a more wary state.
I was silently excited, I really am doing this now, I'm going to California, This is great!
At this point I stopped looking back into the past two days and just thought of all the good things that might be coming.
For some reason the girl's words at the front desk echoed in my mind, There might be coffee.
Most of the drive was quiet and I only stopped once for gas.
Made it into Ohio an hour or so later, I'd been in Cleveland once before by mistake coming from upstate New York. Those were different times and I didn't bother to think over them too hard.
I'm sure they were regretful because I was saying nonsensical things out loud in the car to stop myself from delving too deep into memory.
Around 1 pm or so I passed Cleveland and didn't care too much to stop there.
I'd been hungry for a while but I did my best to ignore it.
I realized I hadn't looked to see if Jake or my wife called and at the next stop I got out and had a late lunch at a small town deli.
I had to work up the nerve to call my wife.
She didn't answer and I figured she was still that mad at me.
I left a rather blase message, "Hey honey I'm sorry about all this but you know you had your break too. Try to see it from my side, alright...Love you, bye."
The rest of the drive was rather benign I kept the windows down when the heat got to be too much.
I came to a sort of fork in the road, "Chicago 150 miles, Detroit 50 Miles Turn Right On Next Exit."
I'd always wanted to see Motor City, I had a fascination with heavy industry, back in the day they built everything there, tanks, planes, cars, boats, anything you could put together with an assembly line and ball bearings. Most of the heavy industry I would think got outsourced to other countries by now.
A little voice in my head said, Do it!
I was still reasoning out of it was worth it to deviate from the trip.
I hadn't decided which way to go when I actually passed the fork in the road.
Wish I still had time to change the road I'm on...
I wanted to get past Chicago by 6 pm and I just about made it around then.
I'd been there before as well to see a band many years ago I didn't remember anything too great about the city, other then the skyscrapers.
They all seemed larger, and more aesthetic then New York's.
I didn't stay too long anyway back then.
At some point I got lost and I've never trusted my phone's GPS for guidance.
Stopped into a gas station to gas up and grab a road atlas.
I'd never driven past Chicago and I tried to find the quickest route to California from where I was.
Just in case I wasn't paying attention at some point I drew out a rough map with little notations to make sure I was going where I wanted to go.
Back on the highway there was still enough light out that I didn't need to turn my headlights on.
Around 7:30 I got a text from my son and I stopped to read it, "Dad mom says shes sorry and its ok."
I felt relieved just then and, I texted back, "Thanks buddy, see you on way back."
I knew my son took responsibility and I felt very proud of him then.
I'm sure my eyes were watering on the verge of tears but I didn't want to let the feeling go.
It was scary it took me a moment to realize I actually was going to California now and all those miles of driving awaiting. I knew I couldn't turn back now, my excuse for going back pretty much had left.
Well now...I was gonna go all the way anyway, right...right!
Back on the highway the wind seemed harder, and I felt the car slide out a bit.
When night came I didn't have to remind myself to the turn the headlights on.
Traffic from time to time got congested but nothing that was enough to call it a, "New York Rush Hour."
I'd pretty much burned myself out by 2 am and I found an off road rest stop that looked safe enough to call it a night.
I went to sleep hungry but my appetite was full of thoughts and feelings about what was to come in California. I slept in the back again coiled with a blanket and my clothes as a pillow.
Well in the morning, there might be coffee.
I wandered into the shower and started reflecting on the past day.
All in all it wasn't all that bad, my wife hates me but the kids are okay for now...It'll all work out I'm sure.
I scrubbed good and hard til my skin was a bit raw.
After I dried off I went through my laptop finding no new emails from my boss except the usual crap that somehow made it into my inbox.
I remembered the idea to call old friends who probably didn't even know my name anymore and scouted out my contacts list.
A couple of, Who the hell is that?(s) later I found the friend's numbers who had almost escaped memory.
Ring, ring, ring...
"Uhh Hello?" said someone on the other line.
I cheated and glanced at the name on the computer, "Steve?"
"Huh...Sorry wrong number." he replied.
"Whoops thanks." The call ended and I tried to think over what I remember hearing from Steve.
Don't think that was him sounded like he smoked too many cigarettes.
The next number struck a cord and I kinda liked the guy when I knew him.
I sat staring at the phone til I realized two full minutes passed by.
I must have been swimming in odd memories I wasn't too sure about.
I dialed in the number, "Hey War Head?"
"BOMBS AWAY!" he screamed into the phone.
"Warren, I mean damn man has it been that long...You married now?"
"Haha me married? You know me always, flyin', drivin', burnin', blazin'."
Shit hes still baked...
"Yeah man." I replied.
"So what up man...I know you didn't just call me to get some pot outta my drawer!"
I hesitated in conversation, "I uhh nah not that...I'm actually running away, well driving away...Thought I'd go out to Cali...and I do remember you saying you were gonna move out there sometime..."
"Oh I see...Well the situation is a little unusual...I have a girlfriend, doin' the college thing out here in Richmond. Things are actually pretty damn good out here, like I don't even really have to try anymore. It almost feels like too easy. But yeah I donno about you staying here, shit ain't cheap around here."
And by cheap he meant he had no money at all.
"Well I'm actually doin' pretty good with that, working in Graphic Design for a web based company..." I said.
"Graphic Design? Don't you mean like the ads and all that, the pop-ups, the pop ups!"
I nearly barked out, "No not the pop ups, its for the visual appearance of their website."
"Oh cool. Well I got class in like an hour so gotta get movin', let me know when you're out here man we'll go out to the bay knock back on some of grandpa's old juice!"
"Sounds good I'll talk to you later." and the call ended.
I silently regretted calling him I didn't know exactly what he meant by unusual but I pictured a shack on the beach with a small greenhouse on the side, with people coming and going for his pot. So If anything it was a destination, Richmond, California.
The next numbers I called were family, and though I felt nervous calling them so randomly I dialed in and waited for the tone.
"HelllllllllO!"
"Aunty?" I asked.
"Whose this?" she asked.
"Guess and I'll tell ya!" I said.
"OH I KNOW WHO THIS IS!"
I broke out in honest laughter.
"How are you Aunty?"
"Old." she said.
"Aww don't say that! Everything cool?" I asked.
"When I'm not moving, yes! haha"
"Sorry..." I said.
"No don't be sorry, everythings fine. We haven't heard from you in what..."
I could see her counting her fingers for the number of years we hadn't spoken.
"Almost ten years!" I shouted.
"I think you're right!"
I didn't bother going over spillt milk and just said, "I'm comin' out there for a vacation. Should be out there early next week!" I said.
"You're kidding, aren't you married now and kids?" she asked.
"Well yeah they are getting all grown up now, especially Jake."
"Oh wow how old are they now?" she asked.
"Seven and Ten. Jake and Miana, shes the younger one, definitely has her mother's passion in her."
"Thats great! They grow up so fast don't they?"
"Faster then I wanted them too to be honest."
She laughed joyously.
"They are a handful thats for sure."
"So when are you coming out here? We should have dinner ready and the kids are they coming too?"
I hesitated answering waiting for the disappointment to leave.
"No this is just a vacation for me. Needed a break and...I really felt like I deserve one for once."
She sighed on the other end, "I know just how you feel."
"So I'll keep in touch I'm driving out there, I'm somewhere in Pennsylvania right now, its a long drive."
"Okay talk to you later honey!"
"See ya soon Aunty!"
"Byeeeee."
The call ended.
I went through the rest of my contacts list and shook my head remembering petty details about all these people I didn't really care to know. None of the other numbers looked promising and I couldn't imagine that any of the ones I did care for would ever make a move out of their parent's houses. For most of them I knew it wasn't really a choice.
I shut the laptop down realizing the time, a quarter past 9. I was hungry and figured they'd have continental breakfast.
What the hell is continental breakfast anyway? If I go to another continent is breakfast going to be different on another continent?...Yeah probably.
I packed up and put everything in the car, gave the room a once over and went to the lobby.
I could see the early risers already picked away pretty much everything.
There was a shriveled up bacon strip that nobody wanted and I was so prideful that I didn't even bother.
I went to the front desk, "Hey uhh is there any breakfast left?" I asked.
"Sorry sir, there might be coffee though."
She pointed over to one of those black aluminum coffee grinders, low & behold there was still hot coffee.
It was enough to get me going, I checked out and drove off into the dawn.
I breathed easy, with my nerves still winding up into a more wary state.
I was silently excited, I really am doing this now, I'm going to California, This is great!
At this point I stopped looking back into the past two days and just thought of all the good things that might be coming.
For some reason the girl's words at the front desk echoed in my mind, There might be coffee.
Most of the drive was quiet and I only stopped once for gas.
Made it into Ohio an hour or so later, I'd been in Cleveland once before by mistake coming from upstate New York. Those were different times and I didn't bother to think over them too hard.
I'm sure they were regretful because I was saying nonsensical things out loud in the car to stop myself from delving too deep into memory.
Around 1 pm or so I passed Cleveland and didn't care too much to stop there.
I'd been hungry for a while but I did my best to ignore it.
I realized I hadn't looked to see if Jake or my wife called and at the next stop I got out and had a late lunch at a small town deli.
I had to work up the nerve to call my wife.
She didn't answer and I figured she was still that mad at me.
I left a rather blase message, "Hey honey I'm sorry about all this but you know you had your break too. Try to see it from my side, alright...Love you, bye."
The rest of the drive was rather benign I kept the windows down when the heat got to be too much.
I came to a sort of fork in the road, "Chicago 150 miles, Detroit 50 Miles Turn Right On Next Exit."
I'd always wanted to see Motor City, I had a fascination with heavy industry, back in the day they built everything there, tanks, planes, cars, boats, anything you could put together with an assembly line and ball bearings. Most of the heavy industry I would think got outsourced to other countries by now.
A little voice in my head said, Do it!
I was still reasoning out of it was worth it to deviate from the trip.
I hadn't decided which way to go when I actually passed the fork in the road.
Wish I still had time to change the road I'm on...
I wanted to get past Chicago by 6 pm and I just about made it around then.
I'd been there before as well to see a band many years ago I didn't remember anything too great about the city, other then the skyscrapers.
They all seemed larger, and more aesthetic then New York's.
I didn't stay too long anyway back then.
At some point I got lost and I've never trusted my phone's GPS for guidance.
Stopped into a gas station to gas up and grab a road atlas.
I'd never driven past Chicago and I tried to find the quickest route to California from where I was.
Just in case I wasn't paying attention at some point I drew out a rough map with little notations to make sure I was going where I wanted to go.
Back on the highway there was still enough light out that I didn't need to turn my headlights on.
Around 7:30 I got a text from my son and I stopped to read it, "Dad mom says shes sorry and its ok."
I felt relieved just then and, I texted back, "Thanks buddy, see you on way back."
I knew my son took responsibility and I felt very proud of him then.
I'm sure my eyes were watering on the verge of tears but I didn't want to let the feeling go.
It was scary it took me a moment to realize I actually was going to California now and all those miles of driving awaiting. I knew I couldn't turn back now, my excuse for going back pretty much had left.
Well now...I was gonna go all the way anyway, right...right!
Back on the highway the wind seemed harder, and I felt the car slide out a bit.
When night came I didn't have to remind myself to the turn the headlights on.
Traffic from time to time got congested but nothing that was enough to call it a, "New York Rush Hour."
I'd pretty much burned myself out by 2 am and I found an off road rest stop that looked safe enough to call it a night.
I went to sleep hungry but my appetite was full of thoughts and feelings about what was to come in California. I slept in the back again coiled with a blanket and my clothes as a pillow.
Well in the morning, there might be coffee.
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