Shower Thoughts: Alex - Part 1

Shower Thoughts is a collection of random memories that come to visit between the turn of faucets and the pull of the curtain.


Many years ago a friend asked to borrow my silver mini Mitsubishi turbo diesel pick up. Reluctantly I agreed as he made it clear this would be the most important thing that I could ever do for someone I called my best friend.

Outside the Concord BART station Will waited for me with his best happy face of the week on over the usual faded, green surplus pants and black henley shirt. The ever present knapsack was tossed on the floor of the cab.

I asked him again where he was going, when he was coming back, all which thoroughly annoyed him.

"I. I just need to do something in The City."

"What?"

"Look. I need to drive around and go somewhere. I just have something to do, okay?"

"I take it you're not going to tell me then?"

"Jesus Christ Robert! I'll be back tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Don't worry! I just need to drive around for a bit.

"Are you going to see Alex?"

"No," He threw his cigarette onto the moving roadway, "this has nothing to do with Melinda.

"Well maybe." He responded to my raised eyebrow.

I never cared for her Alex's given name and continued to refer to her to how she introduced herself years earlier in Alameda at the roaming underage dance club set up shop for the night in the old movie house lobby, a grand two floor space with a hand painted rotunda. I came to learn later that she hooked up with my friend Rich just to get closer to me that night which explained her willingness to sit in my lap in an old RX-7 as we crossed the grated bridge deck back to Oakland then to The City. We found a dinner off Union Square populated only by a 13? 14? year old girl who sat alone drinking a cup of coffee in a short skirt and fuzzy jacket. We then chatted with two strangers on the cement wall of Coit Tower as the sun came up in the most brilliant glow over distant fog banks. Leaving East through the tunnel on Highway 24 I felt the tingle between our hands as she fell asleep against my chest.

I knew this had everything to do with Alex and Will's recent break up.

"Have you talked to her recently?"

He didn't answer as we stopped in front of my house. I pulled the keys out and handed them over. "You promise you'll be back by the morning?"

"Fuck. I said I would."

"Alright. I just need my car back, you know?"

Will released the brake and put the truck in gear as I observed in from the sidewalk.

"Hey Robert," he said calmly, "Thank you, you've been a great friend for doing this. And don't worry if you don't hear from me...You'll get your truck back."

He accelerated away as I yelled his name.


photo by telstar logistics used under creative commons license