I had arranged to meet a very important old friend at 2:15 and, as always, was running late on the back of procrastination, so I did what I always do. I decided spending my weekend's grocery money on a taxi was a good idea. I'm glad I did. The taxi man was playing Tom Waits. I'm a fan of the big man, but this was stuff from his earlier years that I'd never heard before. And, I can't stress enough how rare it is to hop into a taxi in a North suburb of Dublin and hear anything other than chart music or Bob Marley, never mind Tom Waits! I acknowledged the driver's excellent taste, and we talked Tom for a bit. My requested destination appeared outside my window, and I realised I'd been silent, leaning back with a big dozy grin on my face, feeling like I'd just had a good kick of strong bourbon. Good ol' Tom. As I got out of the car, the taxi man turned back, smiled and said "you were meant to hear that today". I began to think of one of my favorite films, Wristcutters: A Love Story, in which Waits plays an angel. I wondered if it was true.
As I waited for my old friend(I thought it had been three years, but she insisted it was nearly five...where did life go?!), I began to feel anxious excitement, self doubt and joy. Every emotion flowed through me until she walked down the set of stairs before me. She always wore purple; a very calming colour, apparently. We hugged and we spoke. Within five minutes she had answered thoughts and questions that had been controlling a great deal of my actions for the greater part of my adult life. I burst into a shameless fit of tears and she, of course, even had tissues to hand. As we parted, we arranged to meet again, and I promised to bring my own tissues. I skipped the taxi, found Tom Waits on my ipod, and he walked me home through the park.
I'd like to thank M.A.C Fluidline in Blacktrack for staying on my face exactly like this through the snots and tears. (Taken soon after the Kleenex moment, no retouching or fixing!) Excuse the Bebo pose, old habits die hard...but one can, and will try!
