The Light, The Coffee,

For dinner I had a Twix bar, a cup of coffee, and a pack of gum. The coffee was from a vending machine, a place I never wanted my coffee to come from, and the machine only took exact change, 70¢ for a 12oz cup and 55¢ for an 8oz. My lifesavings, all I was carrying, was completely in quarters, so to get the needed amount I had to buy the Twix and the gum. The coffee was bad, but the Twix was good, and the gum was Juicy Fruit so I chewed it all. Not all at once, though.

Now I'm sitting here drinking this green thing; basically watered down lime juice. It is what a camp counselor might call 'bug juice,' except that its alcoholic. I had finished my Gold cigarettes and moved on to Silver when I noticed something was wrong.

The light is on in here, I thought, and slowed my step in caution. I could see it through the crack between the door and the ground. Somebody's in there? I inquired. Something had gone wrong.

Bills were stacked upon bills and the factory was closing down for the winter - the economic winter. I needed some coffee, so I heated up some water, but all I found was rum (not fit for a pirate), sugar and lime juice. So inhaled the wrong end and took a large gulp. To tell you the truth Keys, I missed the vending machine.

The day has a funny way of passing you by when you forget to eat. For my friend in the hospital, it is less funny. I suppose the coffees just as bad there, but, to tell you the truth, the human aspect of it actually gets me. No, I know Keys, I don't have your little man, but I do have a speck of sentimentality - if you want to call it that - for the old days, the times when the machines were less particular and when all a man thought about was what he was going to eat.

I miss those days, I miss my friend, and I miss you too Keys - if you want to call it sentimentality. I poured out the bug juice and the Silvers turned to Bronze. I left the light on. Now I know I am alone.