I walked home again today. That's approximately 14 miles in two days. It's not much, not even for me, but it's been wonderful. This is going to require a little explanation, actually.

Sunday night I settled down on the red couch in the living room and was watching the Willy Wonka DVD. I got to the part where that snotty little brat of a girl received her golden ticket from the stupid, and surely underpaid, factory worker when my mother called asking me to pick her up from my aunt's house. My aunt lives across the bay and the sun was beginning to set...so I was happy to rush to pick her up. The sun would have been setting right when I was in the midst of crossing Mobile Bay-so gorgeous. The ride home, studded with stars in the black blanket of a country night sky-also gorgeous.

My car broke down on the interstate. It died and since it's power-steering and all that..I couldn't steer and couldn't brake. So here I am, coasting along the interstate with no control of the car. I flip on the hazards and do my best to try to restart the car..in every gear. Even reverse. Nothing. Well, I'm in the far right lane and heading for the wall that, on the other side, has a thirty foot drop to the ground. I'm pondering a tuck and roll...but I'm lucky and I force the wheel all the way to the left and it corresponds to the wheels..I coast to a stop nearly two miles later and throw the car in park. I'm about two miles from the nearest exit and here I am wearing a shortsleeve shirt, a pair of khaki cutoffs, and the sandals that dig into the top of my right foot with every step I take.

So here I am, jogging barefoot down the interstate in surprisingly cool weather-a little colder that I would have preferred-and I hardly get a mile before a truck pulls into the emergency lane not to far ahead. My thumb wasn't out, my hair was in bad shape, and I had a faint musk. Needless to say, it was a miracle. At any rate, it was an awesome woman who was kind to a fault. She had flawless beauty as well; I would have hit on her if the circumstances were a little different..but I figured it would leave her uncomfortable and me without a ride that I was grateful to have. I wish I would have said thank you a few more times and managed to pay her back somehow. She was my roadside messiah. Thank you whoever you are.

The night continued with me waiting at an Exxon for 2 and a half hours trying to get a ride home so that I could tell my mom I was going to be a little late. Mimi came to my rescue....I called Alyson before I called Mimi, though. She wasn't picking up her cell phone and her mom answered when I called the house..saying that she couldn't track her down. I thought it ironic, really. When I could actually use her help..her assistance, she wasn't around. That's how it has always been. It's not that she's a bad friend, because she isn't. It's just that when I'm looking for her help, she tends to be busy. Honestly, it's not her fault. Fate works in funny ways, you know? I can't even begin to talk about how many times I sought out her helping hand but got nothing more that empty air...a busy phoneline...a redirection stating that she was at a friend's house. All of these were innocent coincidences and only one incident bothers me (I found out that she had cheated on me. An I know now that while I was trying to get ahold of her so that she could give me some comfort about a problem I was having...she was seeing if she could trade me in or make an upgrade. I don't really know which). I'm thankful that whenever I really needed her, though, I couldn't find her. Can you imagine how much more pathetic I'd be right now? Damn..

Well, my mom got picked up and our family has had one car for all four of us since. One week with one car for a family of four doesn't sound like much when you have generations dying off from starvation and disease.. Well, Monday and Tuesday were fine enough. Except on Tuesday, my dad was at least a half an hour late in picking me up and his reason was that his sandal broke and he fell down....I had my suspicions, and when I walked into the living room once I got home, my suspicions were confirmed. The heavy scent of of cigarettes and old man masturbation overpowered the stench of puppy poop. I guess he was just a little busy getting busy with himself...I want to vomit.

Yesterday, my dad had to take the car because he was working so I had two options. 1) Take the bus or 2) walk home. I opted to walk home. Seven miles in two hours..and I got a funky sunburn. My left shoulder is burnt with the white tan line of a wifebeater making a slender streak. It's funny so laugh it up.

Since I had such a great time yesterday, I gathered that I might as well do the same again today. I had a few unanswered questions, also. See, there are train tracks down the street from my house and I was thinking that I could probably shave off a few miles by walking the rails. Problem was, I had no clue where those tracks lead..meaning I had no clue where to hop on and where to switch over. I had more than enough time to sequester my curiosity today, though. I mean, is it really possible to be late for the laziness awaiting me?

I stayed on the tracks that I was walking yesterday and came across a bunch of cool locations. There are some "homeless" people living in tents under the overpass on Moffet..or Springhill? One or the other..and they have an extremely healthy puppy and some nice things, which makes me believe they are willingly homeless. So therefore, not homeless, but just wanderers. They've made a few tents their home, complete with their very own lawn furniture. A nice life..I suddenly found myself very jealous. I must have crossed over 3 streams at least. Sitting around at one of them for awhile, I watched a good-sized turtle swim through the shallow depths. It reminded me of a place near the Mississippi border that me and Alyson stumbled across..with a bridge made of what could pass for driftwood...and..well, lots and lots of beauty. I missed her and wished that she was with me right then. She would have enjoyed it a lot, I think. Even as nothing more than just a friend, I'm positive she would have liked it.

Yesterday I guessed that those tracks would lead me where I was going, but I didn't care to find out. I came across a watershed stream and wondered where that led..and for nearly three years have wondered that question. Both were unveiled from uncertainty as I traveled along those tracks today-thinking about Dharma Bums the whole way. They were the same tracks at the bottom of the hill down the street. The watershed winds around all over the place and who knows where it finally disappears. Anyway, it took me three hours to get home...which is really quick considering the fact that I took a lot of time to explore the woods and streams and anything that sparked my interest. If I had walked straight home with no distractions..it would have taken about and hour and a half at the most. I had a lot of fun.

I have a ride tomorrow and by Monday I think I'll have a flow of rides. I'm kind of depressed about that, and I think I'll end up turning down a few of the rides to follow the rails. Mobile has some beautiful scenery along the tracks..and I've decided that I'm going to hop a train and see where it takes me. I think it'll be a load of fun. I'll have to get some dried fruit and oats...and some trail mix. And a bottle of water.

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