FAILURE SURVEILLANCE

Yesterday, while I was exercising Little Dave, I talked to a group of valley dudes drinking beer by the LA river.  It was like meeting the grandchildren of Bill and Ted.  They offered me a can of their Steel Reserve.  I declined then told a story about how I almost died from puking in my sleep after drinking too much of the "devil's piss".  They laughed.  The chubby boy flipped his head backwards to move the bangs out of his eyes every minute or so.  I gauged their age to be about 15-16 and asked if they blazed.  They all nodded enthusiastically.  I offered some hash cookies then they took my number.  The moon was almost full.  I said goodbye and headed to whole foods to get a juice. 

While sipping on my juice, a woman walked next to my table and just stood there smiling down at where I sat.  I said hi.  She was wearing a blue parka a size too big.  Her hands were somewhere in it and the sleeves just hung down, limp.  It took her a moment to respond then she said, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. A gruff voice from behind said come here.  She ignored it, then bent down, put her face extremely close to mine, giggled and whispered, can I kiss you.  Her age looked to be around 60.  I wanted to say yes, not because I dig kissing strangers or old people but because she was so earnest, like a child's dream, and destroying it seemed unethical.  Still, I said no, we don't know each other, but it's nice to meet you, and smiled back at her.  The voice told her to come here a couple more times then she did. 

I waved as she walked outside with her husband, who wasn't walking, just shuffling, like a broken robot towing a broken toy, and neither of them acknowledged my existence.