71 - Ten Dials

     "What the hell are you talking about disappearing for four
months?"  I said lighting an American Spirit Yellow.
     "Four months!" she almost yelled at me, "Four months!  The last
thing that I remember is you just heard that your ex-girlfriends Dad
hated black people and you are driving off into the darkness on some
type of rebirth shit."
     "Ah yes, the rebirth," I said stroking my slightly greying beard.
 "That is a bit of a work in progress.  The plan is still in full
effect but it was sidetracked by a lack of income.  No unemployment
benefits and a limited stock portfolio forced me to strap on my
corporate knee pads once again.
     "Do you realize that this is only the second job I've had where
I've had to sit in a cubicle?  I am such a slacker."  I laughed a little.
     "You are a schmuck."
     I let the smoke hang in the night.  It had rained earlier and the
heavy wet air stuck to my skin like the stink of stagnation.  There was
no wind to blow away the dirt of the day so there was nothing to do but
stew.  I moved to look over her shoulder and the smoke followed me like
a lost puppy that has just been fed.
     "You know what's funny," I said as the smoke continued on it's
own, "you have maybe called me twice in those four months."  I took a
deep drag and released the heavy air from my lungs.
     "I've called you.." I cut her off.
     "You've reactively called me.  You really didn't make any
independent effort to get in touch with me.  I know we're all busy but
don't whine to me about not seeing me when you haven't reached out."
     "Now you're being an asshole."
     "That's more like it.  The sassy makes you sexy." I said feeling
the slick smile cut across my face. I flicked two deep drags worth of
ash on to the sidewalk.
     "So you try to keep in touch with everyone you know?" She asked
leaning toward the defensive.
     "Every Sunday between three o'clock in the afternoon and seven
o'clock in the evening I make ten dials."
     "Ten dials?!?"  She said suddenly confused.
     "I call ten people that I haven't called in a while just to say
hello.  I ask them how they are doing.  I ask them what's going on in
their lives.  If they don't pick up I leave a voice mail and see if
they call back.  Sometimes I'll switch it up and call or shoot a text
message during the week. It helps me narrow the friendship field."
     I blew the smoke towards the night sky as the moon poked it's head
out of the clouds.  A slight breeze started to stir the stale stew.
     "So let me ask you again," I said looking into her surprised eyes,
"What the hell are you talking about disappearing for four months?"

That Beautiful Black Man