I drove 3 hours to find your boat pushing barges up the mighty Mississippi. You were not supposed to be on your phone, but you coordinated with me your location so I could stand on the bridge and wave.

The moment you passed, I smiled and waved like a mad…

I stood at the fence around his property. From here I could see inside his two story farmhouse. The dusk meant the lamps inside gave me a clear view of him moving about, lovingly touching his girlfriend as they set the table together and served each other…

I felt like my heart was on fire whenever I saw her. Like a tentacle of hot flame wrapped around the ventricles and tried to choke the life out of me but not in a bad way, if you can imagine such a thing being a pleasant experience.

It was just love. OK,…

The calendar says today is the first day of fall. The pumpkin candle in my office says that leaves will soon turn orange and red. Pumpkins will be carved. Sweaters will be worn. The temperature will drop. The world will become cozy once more.

But as…