Mr. Clark

[Dano]

Sometimes you just meet people, you know?

I'd finally been released from a particularly gruelling shift at work. Alone, a lot of business, no A/C, and hungry. I'd managed to forget to eat lunch, so 8 hours later, I headed over to the only drive-thru open so late.

I got up to the window and noticed an old man sitting on the curb. He looks pretty bad, like a career alcaholic or something. All red-faced and puffy, wearing a rumpled grey suitcoat over a faded black t-shirt and jeans. Dusty, well-travelled cowboy boots completed his wardrobe, and a scattershot mop of long grey hair covered his head.

The kid came to the window, and I ordered two burgers, two large fries, and two large sodas. I got my stuff and drove over to a parking spot, then got out of the car and walked over to him. Extending the bag to him, I ask, "Mind if I sit here?"

He looked up at me, his eyes surprisingly sharp as tacks. "Certainly young man, I could do with some company. Have a seat, have a seat."

I hunkered down and set the bag down between his legs. "There you go, thought you might like a little bite."

Smiling as wide as I've ever seen a man smile, and with absolutely no trace of booze on his breath, he exclaimed, "Well I'll be blessed! Thank you young man, thank you ver much. I certainly do appreciate it. And here I was, not expecting a thing tonight! Well, I've been rude, let me introduce myself, I'm Mr. Clark."

I shook the extended hand and introduced myself as well. He tore into the bag and brought out his food. "Mmmmmmmmm, a nice big burger for an old man like me, you certainly are a good one, aren't you? Yes sir, I am truly blessed tonight."

I was getting a little embarassed at his hyperbolic gratitude, but at the same time, it felt soothing, a good balm to cure the previous events of the evening.

"Not much of a talker, are you? Well, that's good, that's good. Folks get to talking too much, it gets 'em in trouble. I'm a prime example of that. Here I am, an educated man, a man with prospects, wife and kids and a nice little house, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut. No sir, no sir."

He fell silent a while as we ate. He looked around the lot a bit, would occasionally glance over at me, then return to his food.

Taking a big gulp of soda to clear his throat, "So what's got you out so late on a clear warm night like this, young man?"

"I just got off of work."

"Oh good, you've got yourself a job. Excellent, good for you, make sure you don't fall into a hole, get yourself into a debt you can't get out of. Is it a good job? Are you satisfied with it?"

"Most of the time, yeah."

"Well, that's all a man can ask, that's all. Can't ask much more. But, if it starts to make you crazy, don't be afraid to walk away, start somewhere else. A man's got to enjoy his livelihood or he's miserable, and that's the God's honest truth. Myself, I haven't worked much for the last couple of years, had a little mishap with my big mouth. Always running off at the mouth, that's me, that's me."

We sat another while, quitely, enjoying the night. It really was a nice night, clear and warm, a little breeze, no clouds.

After a while, I turned to him. "What about you, what brings you out tonight?"

"Well young man, let me tell you, I do a lot of this, bringing myself out at night. I don't so much have a fixed residence right at the moment, not a place you'd call 'home' exactly, but I do have a lot of territory. A lot of territory, that's what I've got."

He pointed up towards Orion, hanging large in the sky. "See that there, the topmost star in Orion's helmet? That there's the southern border of my territory."

I shot a glance over at him, suddenly figuring he might be more than a little crazy. But, the way he looked up at the sky with such clarity, such focus, I knew what he meant. I knew exactly what he meant. I smiled over at him, and seeing him smile back at me, I knew he knew I understood.

"Well young man, I do certainly appreciate the food and the conversation, I really do. I really do. But, I've got some miles to put behind me tonight yet, and I'll bet you'll be needing some sleep."

He stood up, and I followed, trying to talk him into giving him a lift to wherever he was going. "Oh, I do thank you young man, but I've got some miles to put behind me, like I said before. So, I'll just have to see you later."

He thrust out his hand, and I shook it again, this time in goodbye. "You've blessed me young man, you truly have. You truly have. I'll see you later, hear?"

And with that, he started off, heading over towards the entrance ramp to the highway, towards the southern border of his territory.

[Oz]

god damnit! you just left AIM cuz i told you that i was going to bed! but i had to read this first, didnt i... i just had to...

this is awesome dano. you have a real knack for describing peices of life to the fullest.

is this real? did this happen? is this part of the reason that youre moving? gah... i need to talk to you!

[Poets]

Mmmm. I like this. Has a good feel to it.

Did it really happen?

[Peace Monkies]

Beautiful...
Absolutely.

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'Father please forgive me, for I can not compose, the fear that lives within me or the rate at which it grows' ~dc Talk