[i]Waking up later than usual in the afternoon at 2. It feels like somebody poisoned me with a sleep drug and I can’t shake it off.
Errands.
Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Hummus. Salt n Vinegar Chips.
Honey Green Tea.
Watching Seeking Justice (2011).
Rehearsing through some songs at the storage unit.
Back at the house. Talking with James Graves and Skippy
while I scrounge up a makeshift meal in the kitchen – Richie tinkering away on
the ivories providing a loopy soundtrack to our discussion...
James with scooter in hand runs the front wheel on the
bottom of the fridge. Sarcastically I encourage him, “Yeah put some skid marks
on that will you?”
Skippy: “See that’s what this house needs, more skid marks.”
Me: “More skid marks...in our underwear, in our beds...”
Skippy: “In our souls.”
James: “How does one’s soul obtain skid marks?”
...
Skippy: “Remember back in the day when you did your
newspaper route?”
Me: “Yeah I do remember that.”
Skippy: “That was such a hideous time in our lives.”
I snicker as I ask back, “In all our lives?”
Skippy: “That’s the skid mark in our soul I was talking
about.”
James: “Oh my god it was. You’re right. It was a result of
Robert being the paperman.”
...
Sitting down at the table enjoying my meal. Kelly Jackson
arrives on the scene. Skippy skims through the 1956 issue of Life
magazine and reads aloud the loaded advertisements while James does the same in
a recent issue of Popular Mechanics.
Kelly: “You guys are comedians.”
Me: “Oh they are...naturally.”
White Bean Soup with Mixed Vegetables. Garlic Bread dipped
in Olive Oil. Coconut Water.
Kevin complains about losing his pants and then finds them
in the washer.
Skippy: “Why do you yell and ask questions later? You know
who that reminds me?”
Kevin: “Who?”
Skippy: “Your role model.”
Kevin: “Who?”
Skippy: “Darren Warrington.”
...
We’ve made plans to hang out as one big family so everyone
meets here. Piling into my purple station wagon. With Anthony and Kelley,
Skippy, Richie, Kevin, James, and Kelly Jackson. Checking into Flipper McCoy’s,
the only fully functioning arcade in Virginia Beach. Elliott and his friend
Taylor, Ben and Rachel along with her cousin, and Jamil conjoin with us. The
rockabilly band, Two Tone Cadillac, wailing out tunes just outside for Beach
Street. Trotting around on a Razor scooter making my rounds. We’re all just big
kids in a big kid gang. Air hockey is an Olympic sport for Elliott and I. We
have at it – three games – the puck spinning and flying off the table
occasionally – a tight grip on our mallets – using unnecessary acrobatics.
Moving our circus troupe to the hills of the country club on
38th Street. Anything with wheels applies: scooters, longboards,
bikes, bodgiboards. Cases of PBR’s are consumed. Entertainment and fun abound.
A personal side conversation with Kelly Jackson about the relieving of
attachments in our lives – being free.
Back home. Instruments are played – jamming out to whatever
melodies seem clever.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Concord Grapes.
Sleep 4 a.m.
[i] All images
by Jamil or me.
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