Day of Lucidity 724: My Body… | Aaron Ickler

I was walking to my car back from my school’s gym to put away my wallet and housekeys to prepare for a night run, when I noticed a beer bottle, smashed on the concrete right by the entrance to the parking garage at my University. “Un-Fucking Believable.” I thought to myself, though I probably muttered it under my breath too. “Is it seriously that hard to pick your shit up and put it in the garbage can that’s literally less than fifty paces away? I guess it’s easy to buy craft beers and smash them on the concrete when you’re using your parents credit card. Does she really want to fuck you that much more because you were so badass and smashed a beer bottle on the concrete? Not to mention that it’s a beer bottle, smashed and broken. Right by where cars come in and out. Not too far from where kids like to pick things up off the ground. But you were a badass and thought you’d be so fucking cool by throwing a once-full bottle of beer onto the ground, smashing it. What a fucking Chad. I wish I could be like you (sarcasm!).” I stopped myself from going off on this imaginary person that I had named Charlie. I suddenly remembered that one time that I was on a road trip with my mom and had bought a rotten tuna sandwich from Speedway. I remember it smelled so god awful that I literally threw it out the window while we were merging onto the freeway. My mom was gagging, and I was laughing a little bit. Okay fine, I was laughing my ass off. I admit it. Sorry mom. Neither of us remember where we were going, or what we were doing, but we remember what had happened, and we remember laughing. Most importantly, we remember being happy and having fun being together. I took a deep breath. The kind that they tell you to do in therapy; breathe in for seven seconds, out for eleven. Maybe they really wanted to pick it up, but they were worried about cutting their fingers on the glass. Maybe they were having a lot of fun when they did it. Maybe they’re really sorry, but I guess I’ll never know. Sorry Charlie. Just next time, when you can, try to make sure it gets in the trash. I took off my shirt, threw it into my car, set my watch, and started to run.