was on my way to the store this morning for caffeine. It wasn’t quite daylight yet. I see this weird figure up ahead — turned out to be a walker with a little old lady hunched over it. She looks at me with this big toothy smile and says good morning, handsome. I laugh and tell her good morning right back.
I’m standing on the corner waiting to cross — any busy street in Jacksonville is a hairy proposition — watching the traffic, watching the light, trying not to die. She meanders over and asks if I have a cigarette. I tell her yes ma’am, I always carry cigars.
So what are you doing later today, good looking? she says. I tell her I’ve got a few things to do. How about you? I’ll probably watch football, she says. Always a disappointment. The Jaguars are doing okay, but they’ll blow it because they suck.
I’m standing there laughing as this woman rants about the Jaguars and how they should be fixed. Then she asks if I know when the bus runs. I tell her it should be along shortly — if it decides to show up. Sons of bitches at JTA, she says. They’re so lazy they can’t do anything right. She takes a drag off the cigar I gave her.
You sure you don’t want to give an old lady a hot date today? she says. I’m busting up laughing, my ribs hurting. I tell her I’m flattered but I’ve got to go. She thanks me, and as I walk away, I think to myself: I love Jacksonville.
I’m dodging cars like I’m playing frogger, crossing in and out of Jacksonville traffic, trying not to die as people run red lights. And I’m thinking: I hope when I’m 900 years old and can barely walk, I’ve still got that kind of spirit and attitude. One hell of a way to start a Saturday.
#EarlyMorningAdventures #MorningVibes
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