Chud and the Pepper

Before I learned my current perspective on the ways of the world...
I didn't worry about how a building came to be. I was simply joyous that it did exist.

That it had a giant yellow M glowing day and night.

There was warm food. Salty food. Greasy paper wrapped food. 

In October there was a Trick or Treat bucket happy meal.

I did not believe at the time that they were an evil corporation.

I'm not sure I knew what a corporation was, and the fries were certainly anything but evil.

Especially with some sweet and sour sauce? Lick the foil top.

When I was old enough to ride my bicycle to the restaurant, I just looked it up 1.3 miles each way.

When we kids of the neighborhood were old enough, and we had 60 cents or more, we'd make the trip to our favorite place.

My favorite place anyway.

Before I was old enough to work there and walk out of, we, Chad and I rode our bikes

On a cold bluster of a day, blisterskin touching metal cold.

What a funny idea I had.
Oh, how I laughed to myself.

A trailerpark Puck in a trailerpark glen of perfection

Here comes Chooch, all one year older and many years younger with his tray

and how funny it will be to see him sneeze

as I blow this handful of black pepper

From the plastic black shaker on every table

The ones next to the beige jobbies we would stand a nickel underneath and SMASH

as we were leaving so the next nice folks would have a free salty nickel 

I was in the booth, one leg in one out

My tray of food safely stored on the table

Here he came and I simply put my lips together and blew a gentle breeze

across the powered pepper in my palm

and into the membranes around his eyes and in his eyes and

in his mouth and up his nose

and did he sneeze

he did

he also dropped his entire tray of food

he also walked blindly, crying painful tears, into the mens room

he also came out soaking wet, like his shirt had been flushed

then he had to ride his bike home wet and hungry

crying over spilled milk is not a fucking joke\

when you are hungry all the time

dropping good food, salty greasy hard earned food

is not funny 

it is not the punchline

I am the punchline, 

or rather I deserve to be punched

because I laughed.

Fuck did I laugh, I laughed at the time

I laughed on the ride home

I laughed every time I told that story

I'm sorry Chad, that we called you names

that we picked at you more than anyone deserved

I loved Chad and I regret writing this