It was still night when Travis opened his eyes and surveyed the room. He had taken the couch in the front room while Günter was in the bed room. Even in the dark he could picture the trailer’s cheap birch veneer and worn 70’s decor. Somewhere he knew there was paint worn off a knob, a sliding door that didn’t slide, tile with iron stains from the hard water and maybe a dirty screen with a small hole in it. Good things, real things, objects with the reassuring wear of a normal world. He was comfortable here. Today was good already.
Travis was awake now and not as much hungry as craving to consume something. In former times a cigarette would work, but, until he found cigarettes and his will power crumbled or he went to the store, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t fall off that wagon.
He felt his way over to the kitchenette and fumbled for the light over the old stove, trying every switch and button until rewarded with a flickering greenish florescent glow. Then, like a glorious miracle he saw a stack of heavy paper cups, a tin coffee pot, a plastic jug of water and a box of instant coffee packets on the counter. Günter took on the aura of a Caffeine Saint. Perhaps the Catholic Church would never recognize him, but Travis solemnly promised to. The thought of Günter's face on a medalian he wore around his neck for protection when he went to Starbucks made him smile. The little kettle whistled and ten minutes later he occupied a thread bare swivel lounger gazing out the front window, coffee in hand.
Travis looked out into the void for the still hidden lake. He toyed with the thought of sitting here as the night transitioned to day and the lake slowly revealed itself. Travis knew he was having this nice moment courtesy of Günter. A difficult problem as his gratitude had already peaked with the coffee. “What the hell was he doing here?” he wondered. It was a short jump to ask himself the same question about his whole life
Travis was nine when he had his ‘awakening”. He used to turn around and around to see where the murmurs were coming from. Noises, tiny whispers, quiet emotion filled whispers that he couldn’t make out. The noises were very small like a mosquito in the night. He would listen and when he stopped, it would come back. Over the months it became clearer until one day he knew that "Susie was mad" and "Eddy hated someon," “I want to go home," “pretty," “lonely," “sad," “bad," and the like. Some days he avoided the playground altogether and sat hidden on the farthest edge of the school property.
All through grade school and into middle school Travis had tried his best to ignore it, even as it got louder. It was like someone turned the radio up or the stations were getting closer. But in high school a funny thing happened. His curse became a blessing. He realized he could respond to whatever a girl was feeling and after a while learned to do things that influenced those feelings. He thought that was cool, a little evil, but mostly cool.
Travis was awake now and not as much hungry as craving to consume something. In former times a cigarette would work, but, until he found cigarettes and his will power crumbled or he went to the store, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t fall off that wagon.
He felt his way over to the kitchenette and fumbled for the light over the old stove, trying every switch and button until rewarded with a flickering greenish florescent glow. Then, like a glorious miracle he saw a stack of heavy paper cups, a tin coffee pot, a plastic jug of water and a box of instant coffee packets on the counter. Günter took on the aura of a Caffeine Saint. Perhaps the Catholic Church would never recognize him, but Travis solemnly promised to. The thought of Günter's face on a medalian he wore around his neck for protection when he went to Starbucks made him smile. The little kettle whistled and ten minutes later he occupied a thread bare swivel lounger gazing out the front window, coffee in hand.
Travis looked out into the void for the still hidden lake. He toyed with the thought of sitting here as the night transitioned to day and the lake slowly revealed itself. Travis knew he was having this nice moment courtesy of Günter. A difficult problem as his gratitude had already peaked with the coffee. “What the hell was he doing here?” he wondered. It was a short jump to ask himself the same question about his whole life
Travis was nine when he had his ‘awakening”. He used to turn around and around to see where the murmurs were coming from. Noises, tiny whispers, quiet emotion filled whispers that he couldn’t make out. The noises were very small like a mosquito in the night. He would listen and when he stopped, it would come back. Over the months it became clearer until one day he knew that "Susie was mad" and "Eddy hated someon," “I want to go home," “pretty," “lonely," “sad," “bad," and the like. Some days he avoided the playground altogether and sat hidden on the farthest edge of the school property.
All through grade school and into middle school Travis had tried his best to ignore it, even as it got louder. It was like someone turned the radio up or the stations were getting closer. But in high school a funny thing happened. His curse became a blessing. He realized he could respond to whatever a girl was feeling and after a while learned to do things that influenced those feelings. He thought that was cool, a little evil, but mostly cool.
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