Coffee Shop [Part 1]

I met her down at a coffee shop, I don’t normally frequent those sort of places but that day I felt a rather strange impulse to drink coffee. There she was, furiously involved in whatever she was writing, she had at her side a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. I couldn’t take my eyes of her, I had never seen anyone type with such eagerness and passion; it was a living work of art. When she finally lifted her eyes from the computer she caught me starring, but unlike other times, I didn’t look away. Her hair was all over the place, it was somewhere between straight and curly, nonetheless, stunning. She tilted her head and told me: ‘You know…stranger, never and I mean NEVER fall in love with a writer’. I tilted my head to the other side and she repeated the same words but adding a follow up sentence: ‘Yea, don’t ever fall in love with them, they’re crazed people!’ To which I replied: ‘What happens if THEY fall in love with you?’

-By golly! That’s even worst!

-How so?

-You’ll become immortal!!!!

-How is that a bad thing?

-Dude!?! Who wants to live forever!? Life is about living in the moment! Enjoying it! Seizing the day!

-Carpe Diem?

-Yes! Exactly!

I smiled, never had I met a person that thought living on forever was a bad thing. Luckily for me the conversation didn’t end.

-Mind if I join you in the celebration of coffee?

-Sure, go ahead.

-You know, immortality should be left for the people that made a difference in history…

-Columbus?

-Don’t be silly, he doesn’t deserve immortality…he fucked America and the indians and Puerto Rico.

-I’m guessing you’re Puerto Rican?

-Maybe…but that’s not the point here. People like Ghandi, Robert Frost, Jesus Christ, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Luther King and so on and so on. Oh! Tim Burton and Johnny Depp as well.

-But…the last two aren’t dead…

-Shhhh….they are brilliant! They will live until the end of time! Even if they die!!!

-[chuckles] So…Jesus Christ? You didn’t seem like the religious type to me.

-I’m not, but who ever created the concept of Jesus Christ was a brilliant man….or woman, you never know!

-Really? How?

-Come on! So many people brain washed? Who can’t fucking think for themselves!? It’s thanks to him we know of the living zombies!

-In that case, touchè my friend.

I can’t remember the last time I had such a meaningful and random conversation. She was so down to earth…yet, so crazy. I just wanted to stay there, which I did, neglected everything I had planned to do that day. After a fair amount of time and conversation, she asked me out to lunch before I could even utter a word. ‘You’re interesting and make good conversation’ she said. I spent such a lovely day with a complete stranger who’s name happens to be Annie. She was so, wordily. Without going to many places she still knew so much, books had done wonders to her brain, she had traveled more than any rich person who could afford to buy a plain ticket to hell if he/she wanted.  At the end of the day I took her to her apartment where she gave me her phone number and threaten me to call her or she would send her evil minions to get me.

That’s how it all began, down at a coffee shop. Never did I expect to meet the woman I marry today at the one place I detested having to go. Now, I can’t get enough of it.

Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today.

-You’re going to forget me, you’re going to get tired of me. I keep telling to just go, leave while you still can! You never listen to me, you’re better off without me, find someone that could really make you happy. Please, just go.

-I wish you’d stop saying that, I wish you could see all the beautiful things I see in you. I wish you could once and for all understand I love you, every bit of you. You’re perfect for me, I’ve waited for so long to be with someone like you that I’m not just going to let you go.

-Don’t make me leave, don’t make this harder on yourself. Please listen to me, leave while you’re still ahead, leave before you really suffer. Trust me, you’re going to regret ever being with me, I can’t make you happy. You’re attached to an allusion, I’m not who you think of me to be.

-I don’t understand…why are you like this? Stop! Please!

-You’ll regret this, I swear you’ll regret this.

-What do you mean? Speak clearly. God, woman, you’re crazy! But I love you, so just relax and stay here with me.

-I can’t, I won’t.

-Don’t make me hold you. You know I’ll trap you and tie you down, just the way you like me to.

-I’m leaving, I’m sorry…I don’t want to stay. I hope you have a better life once I’m gone.

-What? Stop…please, stay with me. Don’t leave, I need you. I love you so much, you can’t leave. Come on, we can go to the doctor tomorrow, both of us. We can both speak with her, I promise. Just stay the night with me.

-I-I…really can’t. Good night Alex.

That night, as she slowly swallowed that bottle of pills, she listened to Rachel Portman’s We Had Today. Her favorite song, from that movie, that one film that gave her queer soul hope. But, she had many monsters to deal with, didn’t know the where the start and the end of them even was. She was blinded by her little monsters, by her loneliness, that she forgot  skinny dipping in the middle of the night, moonlight picnics, rolling down hills, breaking into old houses, writing letters, web cam dates, drinking games. She forgot about playing video games until dawn, forehead kisses, pancakes at three in the morning, the funny noise she made while sleeping, the tossing and turning when they shared the bed. She forgot about the stories she read to him, the poems she wrote, the grammatically correct text he would attempt to send her daily. She forgot about the journals she filled writing about him, the drawings he made her, the flowers he picked out, how he pointed out how funny she walked, she forgot the songs, the tattoos, the piercings, his voice, his smile, his hair, his scent. All faded away, tears fell down as she realized how wrong she was. The memories were fading and so was her life.

He was worried, several days had passed since the last time he saw her. He figured she needed space, but it was to much. She wasn’t online nor did she respond his text or calls. Nothing in life had prepared him for what he was about to see. She was there, asleep, but not in the way he enjoyed viewing her. He now understood what she meant when she said he would regret not leaving. He did, but not leaving her for good, he regretted not following her after that big fight. He thought to himself ‘I should have known better than to let her be, her eyes begged me to go with her’. She never wanted him to go, he was the only thing good in her life. So many years of inflicted torture, she was bound to give up sooner or later.

Years passed and he lived his life as thought she was still around, still regretting with a bitter joy not going after her.

(Tittle: Quote from movie One Day)

Drinky Drinky Milkshit

Dead Guy Ale. (1)
What was I thinking?
When I let the blond devil
pick out a drink for me to try?
A piss,
Devil Blended,
tasting beer.
(Whatever piss blended with a devil really taste like.)

The brilliant idea came up around four p.m.
After the boys devoured a plate full of chinese food.
Their minds were poisoned by whatever they were fed
and by addition, so was mine.
In spirit of the college student ingenious and completely proper ideas,
It was brought to the table that drinking at said hour in college grounds was most fit.

So off on a quest the little blond went!
On his safe return he brought: Dead Guy Ale.

My thoughts began to drift.
The beer had no description of its content.
Curiosity was aching in my skull,
But too soon was I to know its taste.

What the hell was I thinking?
When I asked the blond devil to get me a beer?

First sip, ‘this isn’t so bad.’
Second sip, ‘ugh’
‘You have to really savor it!’
Takes a mouthful of that Devil’s drink.
‘ugh’
‘Now you have to drink it!’
‘Don’t look, I can only manage to make faces.’
‘You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it.’
Glares.

I stared at them, in full
amazement,
wonder,
and perplexity.
HOW CAN THEY DRINK THAT?

What the hell was I thinking?
When I thought it was a good idea
to let the blond devil buy me a drink?
Ah! Right, I was thinking I wanted to try something different.
To drink something aside from my regular drinky drinky milkshit. (2)

(1)

(2) A concept created by a friend to describe the sort of drink I prefer.

 

Detente

Detente, así solo sea por un instante.
Escucha lo que tengo que decir, no será mucho,
ni gran cosa, pero te juro es sincero.

Solo intento conocerte,
y si por suerte se me concede,
que tu a mi también me conozcas.

Caminas en un constante apuro,
como aquel que nunca tiempo tiene.
Mis pasos son cortos y no te alcanzo, detente,
así sea solo por un instante.

Escúchame,
de ser posible,
comprende lo que intento expresarte.

Eres un ser deslumbrante,
sumamente fascinante,
solo intento conocerte.

Pero entre el universo y tu piel
se esconde algo que me impide llegar a ti,
por eso te suplico te detengas,
escucha mi propuesta.

Brindame un día en el parque,
una noche en el cinema
o tal vez en un restaurante.

Te juro solo quiero conversar,
por favor, permítemelo.
Ningún daño tengo intencionado ocasionarte.

Deja los apuros,
deja las excusas,
tienes tiempo demás,
dedícame este solo minuto.
Te juro no te arrepentirás.

Fox with a box

Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts!
That should be put in a box.
Buried underground,
Forbidden to be found.

If it’s guarded by a fox,
Of great evil and harm,
By my mother’s life!
Anyone is entitled to that box.

Be careful I do declare!
If from evil and harm
You wish to be spared.

For and Inspired by: Hector Santiago

Good Bye

Small Things