I had put the last of my belongings, held in paper bags, on the floor of Greg's part of the garage and was looking them over.
It's funny, you think you're some hot piece of shit when the world stops and listens to your idea. Suddenly you're the center of the universe and everyone else is at your command.
Then you see the contents of your life packed like they were 'Ten Items or Less' at the express check-out. That's when you realize that you ain't jack. You're just another speck of dust, blown wherever life sends you.
Like that Greek guy I read about in school. He pissed off some gods or something and had to spend eternity pushing some big rock up a mountain. When he got to the top, the rock rolled over him and back down to the bottom and he had to do it all over again.
I took another drink and walked to Greg's bungalow.
We sat in a small corner booth at some Italian restaurant.
Greg was eating shrimp scampi and I had a meatball and pepper sub.
I poured the last of the beer into the glass and motioned to the waitress for another pitcher.
I washed down a piece of sandwich. "Thanks again. I don't know where I would have crashed if you hadn't offered to put me up."
"Don't worry about it," said Greg. Some butter dripped down his chin. "It's the least I could do. I put the two of you together. I see now that was like putting a match to a can of gas. KA-BOOM!"
I took another bite of my sub.
"Mike, it sounds like you're trapped in a country and western song. You know, the ones sung by some old geezer with a silver pompadour, wearing a powder-blue rhinestone-studded polyester jumpsuit? "
He picked up a bread stick, held it to his mouth like a microphone and said, "This is for you." He started singing,"I lost my job, got stranded in some strange town, my first girlfriend dumps me, my roommate sleeps with my new girl and I get kicked out of my place. I'm glad I ain't got a dog, cause he'd have been shot by now. OOOH, OOOH, OOOH, I got the Mike Orlando blues. I'm talking about those Mike Orlando blues!"
People at another table were staring. I didn't care.
"Don't quit your day job," I said. "You have something on your chin."
He wiped at his face. "Did you really...you know...?" He stuck a finger in his mouth and made a gagging sound.
"Yes."
Greg started to laugh. "KA-BOOM!"
