August 27, 2003

He got up every morning at 5 and quickly got ready in the dark. He normally didn't have to worry about what he was wearing and didn't brush his hair, cut down to 1/4 an inch it never did anything but stand up straight. His normal shower routine involved about 10 minutes where the water, as hot as he could possibly make it, would just hit his upper back right where he should be standing up straight.

He would gather his gear up in his bag every morning - mainly a check that he had everything or last minute inclusions of certain books depending on what he felt like doing that day - things stayed in the bag once he got home every night.

He prided himself on being the first person to arrive at wherever he was going. The coffeeshop or bookstore would find him showing up about 30 seconds after they opened but never earlier - before the bikers getting a cup on their way to work and before the police shift change. He wouldn't just come in and grab a cup to go, this was his destination.

After ordering a drink, the same thing every morning, he would go put his stuff down at the same table from the day before - reserving it just in case somebody came in - and walk aimlessly through the place looking out the window and just generally wasting time by reading the headlines from the paper that he never bought. Sometimes the girl behind the counter would make conversation with him, to which he would respond methodically. The same person never worked more than a few mornings a week what with the available pool of college workers, so he never really knew if they remembered him or not. They never got his drink started without him arriving, and he insisted on telling them what he wanted every morning; he never assumed that they remembered him.

When they called out his drink order he would turn and thank the girl on his way back to his table. He had found that the table with either a nice view out the window or the table where you can't see outside but everybody has to pass by you on their way upstairs are the best spots. It basically depended on what he had to get done as to which he went with on a particular morning.

He would then fall deep into the unchallenged world of thought - books, programs, writing - and this was one of the happiest times in his life.

August 27, 2003 03:20 PM