Nathan leaned back in his chair. His son had gone to school and he felt thankful for a little peace, but then chided himself for his thoughts a moment later. Who am I kidding? All I have is peace. Errr, the only thing worse than being unemployed and living in your mother’s basement is having to suffer through the indignity with a son in tow.
Pushing himself to his feet, he walked to the western door of his subterranean lair. The shadows clung to him, willing him back into their comfortable embrace. ‘Your goals can be put off for another day,’ they seemed to whisper. ‘The delights of electronic love awaits for you here. Movies, the web…video games.’
He ground his teeth and pushed the door open. The bright desert light assaulted his senses. The February heat felt good on his bones and he figured it was close to a perfect temperature outside.
Stepping out onto the packed earth, he let his toes clutch at the pebbles beneath his feet. To the east he saw the first signs of the Tucson Gem Show coming to life. Giant white tents could be seen on the other side of the wash. Soon thousands of people would be filling the city and creating the world’s largest gem and mineral show.
He watched as a new tent reached up into the air. It expanded like a man filling his chest with air. On cue, he breathed in the crisp smell of lingering sage. The wind tossed his hair as he stared over the empty complex. Outside of the gem show nothing stirred. Children were in school and adults were at their jobs. Everyone had something to do but him.
The dark fingers of shade called to him. It would be easy to forget about today and just piss it away like he’d done to so many others, but something had inspired him. A thread of motivation had entered into his conscious and he pulled on it like a drowning man grasping a stick.
Setting himself, with a new feeling of motivation, he decided he would throw on his shoes and a new shirt so he could check out the show. There was no reason a man as broke as himself should go shopping, but it would be a chance for him and an excuse to get out. Walking around didn’t cost anything.
With a final nod, he headed back inside and tried not to look at the flat screen while he hurried into his shoes.
To be continued every week.
Yig Prime 