College was over and before i moved to Los Angeles i wanted to spend some time with my mother and the small town where I grew up. I was nice for a few weeks but I was getting bored and my mother suggested I call an old friend. Dennis, I'm sure had no intentions in hanging out with me. We had grown too far apart. He had become a townie I thought. Chain smoking cigarettes, drinking canned beer and fighting cops. We were not the same guys we used to be. Also we knew things about each other...
But mom insisted and I called:
"What's up..." He answered his voice was gravely from the previous nights pack.
"Hey D, it's me..." he interrupted:
"Hey, man come over. I'm having a party."
Ok, I thought. It was Monday night but so what. The conversation ended just as fast as it began. I found myself driving our town's narrow roads. I made sure to wear only my simple green shorts and black t shirt even though it was 95 degrees and blazing sun. It would be evening soon anyways and I didn't think my polo or college tank top would allow me to fit in. I even donned a backward hat and oldest running shoes in case we started roaming around the old woods.
When i got to his old parents house a car on blocks was still in the driveway while his motorcycle sat all polished up. As I got out of the car, he walked out shirtless with his cut off shorts barely hanging on his hips. Barefoot and cigarettes dangling. He actually had a mullet. I couldn't believe it. How cliche.
We talked for a bit while gazing at his motorcycle like we were both taking it in like a piece of art. We had little to really say. He didn't care about school and I wasn't going to press him on his, seemingly, uneventful life. He reached in a cooler and handed me a cheap beer. We drank and the cold beer went down well. We had a few more and sat in chairs in his garage. Watching cars drive by and talking about old friends I hardly remembered. So this was the party..
The sun went down and it was pitch black. As it gets in that neck of the woods. I had my shirt off at this point and the irony of us sitting shirtless made me wanna laugh. He got quiet and looked over at me. His red blond hair falling over his forehead: