Yesterday was a good day. I decided to wake up later that hot summer day, and after a cooling therapy session and a stop by the thrift store, went for a swim in the lake before reading a good book and seeing Transformers One for a $5 ticket at the local theater.
Today was even better.
Half-shift, that meant we got off work early for the Pre-Independence celebrations. All I needed was a Bacon & Cheese Bagel and a drink. At the end of our shift it began to storm ever so rapidly, and just as fast, withered southward. My coworker was thoroughly pissed that the mechanic decided to ditch us on a half-shift.
" Can't trust meteorologists for shit these days." I thought.
Knowing the food trucks were going to be in Town that afternoon, I decided to put on my finest getup, a Navajo style duster from Arizona and a shirt from a secondhand store that matched the aesthetic. With an Eagle Buckle and Cowboy Hat to finish it off, I took to the road, wondering if there would be anyone I recognized from days before.
First stop was an axe throwing sideshow, which ended up with me scoring six knives in a row on the target board. I guess all those days of archery practice and riflery paid off. The owner was damn impressed and offered me a coupon for a club down south. I might even consider joining.
Next was Hawaiian Crushed Ice. Also known as snow cones. No matter how old I get, it's still a beloved treat.
Then was dinner; Authenic Beef Bao Buns from the back of a food truck makes me proud to support local businesses.
Lastly, homemade Cannoli's, criminally underrated and underappreciate Italian Masterpieces. Even in tiny servings the taste lingers in my mouth.
I must've turned a few heads with my cowboy outfit because a few girls ran up to me, one of them offering a high five on camera, to which I slapped back.
It didn't' take long for me to notice that a group of students from the local high school were doing some sort of wrestling contest near the basketball court. So, to raise the stakes, I decided to join in and bet a single dollar on whoever won. Being dressed like a Tobacco Auctioneer, I figured I could liven things up a little, and roleplayed an announcer, serving nicknames like second helpings such as, "Iron Patriot", "Flexinator", and "Dynamite Damien". It was a ruckus and I loved every minute of it.
Having my fill I went to the same local theater that night and saw Top Gun: Maverick, a movie that still inspires me to this day and makes me feel emotional in ways few movies ever have. It hits deeper knowing that Val Kilmer passed away last April. Godspeed Iceman.
I stopped by the Foodtruck Festival one more time as the sun came down and the lights came on. It was then I noticed a familiar figure, the same dude who I met at game night a few days ago, and it was then after enjoying myself I managed to make a little friend.
A major bummer the fireworks were postponed on a count of rain. But in all fairness, I had a feeling someone was about to start a forest fire. I could feel the skies were angry. For all I knew, Gaia was upset with the man in charge.
Just before it started to pour, an announcer on the radio read that the region was seeing partly clear skies. "Bullshit" I thought to myself. "Can't trust meteorologists for shit these days."
Driving home through the rain, listening to synthwave music, basked in the soft orange glow of the car's headlights behind me...I thought to myself...is this was summertime truly feels like?
That summertime feeling was creeping in again, a feeling which I hadn't felt before in a long time. And to me, it's days like this, feelings like this, that make life truly worth living, and worth remembering even when we age.