H
hstisgod
Guest
Because I got High
Because I got High
Cottonmouth to the ninth degree. It was a nightmare... I was running late to catch the depression magnet we call the bus. I knew I was high and cotton mouthed, and still I proceeded to induce conversations with the sober public.
Two elderly senior citizens are nicely placed at the bus stop on a warm Sunday afternoon in Santa Monica, California. It almost seemed to be one of those goofy life defining moments. Cordial little boy, or rude Gen Xlittle bastard with no manners? *Says like Mr. T* Mama didn't raise no foo...little boy of course. After a healthy PR-like conversation with the elderly couple, it occurs to me gum will indeed remedy my cottonmouth problem. So finally 15 minutes into the conversation, I finally come around to asking the kind old lady for a piece of gum or a 'sucker' I called it in an attempt to speak old. When she commented on the odd request, I simply replied "dry mouth". "A stab in the dark" I called it, as she reached into her purse. As the hope of freshness and moisture manifested in my mind, the bus appears only to brake through her search.
So I formulate a plan to run into the gas station next to my connecting stop, and bolt back across the street like a bat out of hell to catch my connecting bus. I could just see myself during the planning, getting a jaywalking ticket, in this kind of idea. So I got to the Sunoco, and I see two coke machines and a lot of smokes. Now, normally when I'm at a store, cigarettes whether I need them or not, I'll pick them up to save a trip later.
As I'm entering the small untraveled mart, I realize that's all there is!!! It's either coke with cash, or cigarettes on debit. No cash but 75 cents for my bus trip home...coke's are one dollar. There was no time for the ATM, and exchange of a twenty. So, I run across the street with defeat on my face. After a thirty second brain fart, I realize there is a mini-mart in the shopping center behind me. It's all coming back to me now. The same clerk is there, with that same puss face he wore months back during my forgotten visit. All of a sudden, I vividly remembered that look of total self-contempt on his face in his being a store clerk. He, of course, knew I knew. Needless to say, the exchange did not start off well. I grab an ice cold water, and it's almost as if time stops completely for this moment to view the water I will never get.
Why I didn't open it before I hit the counter, don't ask me. Soaked in moisture, wet and refreshing enough for my mouth to almost taste relief through my pores as I approach the counter. The clerk acknowledges my intent to buy the item, waits for me to make my move to my wallet, and as I open my wallet and reach for the debit card...he says enjoyingly, "I am sorry, ten dollar minimum on debit purchases".
I proceeded back to the bus stop, only to realize I'm a little more than frustrated. Fuck... I'm cursed, I even waited another 15 minutes for the bus with no remedy. As I finally got to work, I thought about it some more over many cups of filtered water. It occurred to me why I had such a hard time. Because I got high...
By
Brian Rutherford
hstisgod2000@yahoo.com
Sanica, CA
Because I got High
Cottonmouth to the ninth degree. It was a nightmare... I was running late to catch the depression magnet we call the bus. I knew I was high and cotton mouthed, and still I proceeded to induce conversations with the sober public.
Two elderly senior citizens are nicely placed at the bus stop on a warm Sunday afternoon in Santa Monica, California. It almost seemed to be one of those goofy life defining moments. Cordial little boy, or rude Gen Xlittle bastard with no manners? *Says like Mr. T* Mama didn't raise no foo...little boy of course. After a healthy PR-like conversation with the elderly couple, it occurs to me gum will indeed remedy my cottonmouth problem. So finally 15 minutes into the conversation, I finally come around to asking the kind old lady for a piece of gum or a 'sucker' I called it in an attempt to speak old. When she commented on the odd request, I simply replied "dry mouth". "A stab in the dark" I called it, as she reached into her purse. As the hope of freshness and moisture manifested in my mind, the bus appears only to brake through her search.
So I formulate a plan to run into the gas station next to my connecting stop, and bolt back across the street like a bat out of hell to catch my connecting bus. I could just see myself during the planning, getting a jaywalking ticket, in this kind of idea. So I got to the Sunoco, and I see two coke machines and a lot of smokes. Now, normally when I'm at a store, cigarettes whether I need them or not, I'll pick them up to save a trip later.
As I'm entering the small untraveled mart, I realize that's all there is!!! It's either coke with cash, or cigarettes on debit. No cash but 75 cents for my bus trip home...coke's are one dollar. There was no time for the ATM, and exchange of a twenty. So, I run across the street with defeat on my face. After a thirty second brain fart, I realize there is a mini-mart in the shopping center behind me. It's all coming back to me now. The same clerk is there, with that same puss face he wore months back during my forgotten visit. All of a sudden, I vividly remembered that look of total self-contempt on his face in his being a store clerk. He, of course, knew I knew. Needless to say, the exchange did not start off well. I grab an ice cold water, and it's almost as if time stops completely for this moment to view the water I will never get.
Why I didn't open it before I hit the counter, don't ask me. Soaked in moisture, wet and refreshing enough for my mouth to almost taste relief through my pores as I approach the counter. The clerk acknowledges my intent to buy the item, waits for me to make my move to my wallet, and as I open my wallet and reach for the debit card...he says enjoyingly, "I am sorry, ten dollar minimum on debit purchases".
I proceeded back to the bus stop, only to realize I'm a little more than frustrated. Fuck... I'm cursed, I even waited another 15 minutes for the bus with no remedy. As I finally got to work, I thought about it some more over many cups of filtered water. It occurred to me why I had such a hard time. Because I got high...
By
Brian Rutherford
hstisgod2000@yahoo.com
Sanica, CA
