I am alone in this world. You are alone. Even at birth being clutched in our mothers’ arms, we are alone. Sure, there is warmth and comfort by her bosom, but deep down inside, we do not want to become part of the process. Stay where you’re at, we all say. Why leave when everything is gratis. Her love is gratis. Milk from her breasts gratis. Toys given at Christmas time and birthdays gratis as well. Yet, we do reach a point, that is to say, I did, where we all want to leave the warm cocoon that is dear old mom. I said, let it go. Let it be. Move on away from this castle that dad has created complete with a torcher chamber in the basement. Run while you can, David. I told myself. This is your big chance to either succeed or fail. I chose to fail.
Soft skin and green eyes. Long red hair. She sat next to me at a bar called The Matchbox over on Milwaukee. The whole place was always packed with Wicker Park’s patrons of the arts. All of them talked about politics, film, books, music, their worthless jobs in skyscrapers overlooking Lake Michigan or the desk in the non for profit they sat at daily trying to save the world. Why save the world? I thought. It’s already gone. How much worse could it get? We all learn our lessons.
I overheard her talking to her friend. A Greek woman with a flirtatious nature about her. They both had drinks lined up in front of them from wish to be suitors in sport coats, ties, jeans, leather jackets, and me in my black tee-shirt and work pants.
They were talking nonsense. Speaking Republican bullshit of how the unions had destroyed America. How the minimum wage should not be increased for flipping burgers at McDonald’s. Typical salesman crap handed out to all that would listen. And here’s the amazing part. No one in the joint seemed to care. This is Chicago, I thought. The home of Upton Sinclair and Studs Terkel and Nelson Algren don’t you know. This is a Democrat stronghold in a country gone crazy. A country that read Ayn Rand, if they could read, and decided that it was up to you to make it in this world; alone, by yourself.
What a load of shit. No one gets anywhere without connections. You have to rely on your fellow man for God’s sake. Otherwise, you’re in the hamster cage running on the big wheel. Surrounded by wood chips. Very little culture. People just like you; selfish, arrogant, stupid people filled with nothing but self pride and at times self-pity. No, thank you.
The redhead continued talking of this Dale Carnegie horse shit til I could stand no more. I tapped her on the shoulder and said, you’re a Nazi.
She was instantly intrigued.
