Disjointed Insaniac

You can’t make sense of this world. Everything seems to be out of kilter, out of whack. What the hell is going on? The pieces just aren’t fitting together properly. Frustrated. Pissed off.

To be. Or not be. Not much breathing room. None at all, whether it’s approved of or not. It can’t be and not be, so it’s got to be or not be. Brilliant! Strict! Uncompromising! Unblurred!

Gandy felt like shit all day. From the alcohol from the night before, his sleep pattern had been shifted, altered just enough to throw everything off. His body wasn’t sure. He’d nodded off on the couch, dreaming away the remainder of the gathering. Visions and voices, most definitely not real. Except for the tone and the rainbow stripes on the television, all was quiet on the western front when his eyes opened early Saturday morning. Yawn. Stretch. Time to go home.

He stood, reached for the pack and lit a cigarette. Walking over, careful to avoid the residue, he clicked off the floor lamp and the TV. This was a new Maytag house. Someone had been considerate enough to leave the back sliding glass door to the deck open, freedom for the cool morning breeze to begin the natural
self-cleaning process. Aeration.

Now on the dew-slicked grass, the pink sky gave Gandy pause. It afforded a priceless view of the backyard, the lawn, the worn out area, the spent expanse. Litter. Everywhere litter. Waste, and the knowledge that it’s presence wasn’t new. They were here last night, too. He’d seen this before, elsewhere and else when, and wholly ignored it. Now there was a distaste, bitter in the back of his throat. Toxic. A mask and gloves would not have shielded him, only an exit.

Still smoldering, the fire clung to life. He poked it with a stick and it hissed and popped its disapproval. With two nearly full bottles in his hands, he bent down, dispensed the liquid, extinguishing. “Drink up.”

Removing the key from the lock, he opened the door. Standing between it and the bucket seat, he took a last look. “I’ll be damned.” The engine roared to life, and he backed down the driveway. As the journey home began, Gandy lit another as the windshield wipers cleared the wet debris. Gandy enjoyed his erection. Nice.