Kruppo

The week could not pass by fast enough. Literally, it seemed to go as it had been going for the past few weeks. Work had lost all fun for me; the sense of amusement I’d started out with, thanks to Ted’s company, had now lost its luster, and I wasn’t interested in answering questions for customers, nor did I feel like having a small side-conversation while working the register for said customers. They chattered on, I powered down, letting my mind drift off to safer waters.
Every now and then, through the week, Elicia would drop in for a visit during her breaks or when she got off the clock. She was becoming a regular in my life now, and I had long forgotten about the incident of her catching me staring at her in class that last semester; I could only hope that she too, had forgotten it.
One particular night, I had wrapped up my business a little earlier than usual, and waited for her to get off. When she did, we went to UNO’s, which now seemed to be our customary hangout spot. We sat outside every time, enjoying the warmth of the night, despite its humidity. This particular night was a starry one, and all of the little blinkers were out in the dark blue sky, greeting us with a dazzling display of beauty.
I found myself entranced for a few moments while Elicia was pouring over the menu, debating what it was that her stomach was craving. Meanwhile, the stars were beckoning me quietly, offering me an escape from the sticky atmosphere outdoors, an escape from the cycle that had become my life. The work, the home, and the rehearsing. It was a nonstop barrage, and I was grateful for every moment that I had to myself, or with a friend, that did not involve either work or Juggernaut. I was getting sorely tired of both.
Those stars, so lovely in appearance, so bright, seemingly perfect in the distance. How long had it taken for them to be created? Science could list off random numerical answers, give a theory or two, but in truth, facts bored me. My mind bordered on the imagination; the pondering of how such a thing like a star had developed, and what it must have looked like up close, to watch it being created, molded, and sculpted into something that shimmered so wonderfully in the night. The stars, regardless of how they were created, or whatever was the cause of their creation, were very much like my dreams in life; so far away, yet always shining high and powerfully.
There is an invisible, seemingly-endless void that engulfed the no-man’s land between man’s dreams and his chances of accomplishing those dreams. One could always ask why there was even a void holding us back at all, but that is a futile attempt at trying to understand why life is what it is. I had tried that route many times, and found it always a dead end. So I had decided to ask another question: What bridges the gap?
That was the question. Only one person could possibly know, and that was the God Character. And in his wisdom, he always plays his cards close to the chest. I had figured a long time ago that we were never going to understand God, much less ever learn how good the hand he was holding to his chest was. It could be a royal flush for all we knew, but he was keeping it from us for a good reason.
My issues with the God Character were not something I was embarrassed of, but they were not something I spoke of lightly. I had always considered life’s questions with time, and patience. And most of the time, it felt like I was beating my head against a brick wall, and all that I got for it was a headache.
Elicia thankfully pulled me out of my ruminations by kicking me under the table, a teasing look on her face. “Off in your head again, hippie boy?”
She had dubbed me with the nickname not too long ago. Where she had gotten such a name from, she didn’t bother to explain. I assumed it came from my status as a musician, and a so-called ‘artist’ which is a stereotype that she knew I abhorred. “You could say that.” Instead of challenging her on it I merely let it slip by. I would tolerate it this time. Future offenses would not be taken kindly, however.
“You seem to do that a lot. Ever thought abou taking a vacation to do just that? Getting lost in your head?” She said in reply.
“Don’t tempt me,” I begged. “You have no idea what you’re suggesting to me.”
She laughed, and the server came and took our orders. When she had cleared out, I leaned back in my chair, careful to hook my foot around the pole holding the table, so I didn’t fall backwards, looking like an idiot. “Well, I’m headed to a Municipal Waste concert next week.” I informed her. “It’s gonna be rad. I haven’t been to one of these kinds of concerts in a long, long time.”
“Really? Last one I went to was last summer.” Elicia said. “It was a country festival. It was a ton of fun to sit and drink before going and enjoying the show.”
“Yeah, well, the music being played at the concert I’m going to is not a mellow, whiskey-totin’ kind.” I had to laugh at my own words. “It’s more for hardcore head bangers and the like.”
“You metal heads,” Elicia shook her head at me, still teasing. “You’re all the same.”
She didn’t elaborate, but I didn’t care. We traded a few jabs about musical tastes back and forth, and I felt like I was getting the upper hand in the battle, when our food finally came. My stomach growled at the sight of the sixteen-ounce steak I had ordered. I didn’t say a word as we sat there for several minutes, just eating, no conversation, nothing.
Soon I had eaten too much, and my stomach then protested the foolish endeavors of overeating. I found myself leaning back again, this time looking at the stars in pain. Elicia spoke then. “That was good. You cleaned your plate, Chad.”
And she hadn’t cleaned hers. She had been taking her time, while I had been going balls out without a reason to do so. I just shrugged as she laughed at me for it. “I don’t like wasting food.” was my only defense.
As we paid the bill and were leaving, it occurred to me how much I enjoyed being around this girl. It was strange. It was an interesting pair, the two of us; both of us seeming to come from different walks in life, yet we didn’t care, both of us having a good time in each other’s company. It felt nice to have that kind of person to hang out with on occasion.
We walked back to the cars slowly. This time, we’d used my car, and we’d go get hers from the mall parking lot. Getting into it, I turned it on, and some quiet jazz played in the background. A John Zorn CD that Brian had let me borrow, for inspiration’s sake. It hit a crescendo as soon as Elicia entered the car, and suddenly, the music turned into a mix between jazz and grindcore, sounding hellish and absurd enough to make Elicia blink.
“What is this stuff? Chad, you remember how I told you you’re weird? Well, this is another example of that.” She said.
“It’s just some…homework.” I turned the thing off.
We drove silently back to the mall, the two minutes it took to do so was done in silence. I was thinking my thoughts, and she, hers. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I suddenly had a strange sensation creep over me. One I hadn’t even considered since I’d first clapped eyes on her in that classroom.
Looking at her in the light, her thin form complimented by the tight skirt she wore, showing off all the perfect assets, I was yanked into another world that I hadn’t experienced since that time with Rachel at that party, so long ago. My loins took over my brain, and I was overpowered with a craving that I didn’t know what to do with. My mind disconnected then, and the autopilot slowly shifted into place.
She turned, staring at me, reading my thoughts, it seemed. “You all right, Chad?”
I didn’t know. Or then again, maybe I did, knowing that I was in the right place, the right time…and the pieces were slowly starting to fit together. I could wait, try to slap the whole puzzle set together later, or I could give it a shot now and see if I had it right.
But in the end, my cravings were too strong to repress. I shoved her hard against the doorframe, and she suppressed a startled yelp, while I went in for the kill. Elicia, despite being unprepared for it all, came back at me swinging hard, and we locked in, neither of us holding back; unleashing the natural animal instinct that was locked up inside of us.

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I'm so post-rock I shit sad birds