“I’m going through the motions of living ya know? *I’m holdin’ you close, chasin’ that moon. Lord lady, love like this, it’s *sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing.” I took another swallow of that rot gut whiskey, another pull off my beat up smoke. My hat was shoved back over the top of my head, my tie was half off it was so loose. Man, I had it bad.

“Awww,” her silky throaty voice purred in my ear. “*Billy’s got his beer goggles on..or rather his whiskey specs.”

Her laugh sent shivers up and down my spine. The piano player banged out some ditty, smoke rolled around but I didn’t care. This joint used to be my favourite hole in the wall, a place to unwind after a case. But since she first walked through that door…man, I had it bad.

“*Just idle on over and toss us a line, sweetheart. Gimme something to believe in will ya?” I hated how my voice sounded like I was begging. But only because I was.

“Oh Billy,” that voice, Lord that voice. “*Are you telling me that you’ve never seen an angel? Not once? Never had that special one for your own?”

“Lady,” I croaked as I took another swig of that burning liquid courage. “In my business, *life gets sticky, life can bruise.”

“Oh, baby,” she touched my cheek and I melted into a puddle of…I dunno what. “I know you’re hurting. That’s why I’ve been tossing you line after line. Grab hold of it and *when you laugh, be sure to laugh out loud. Cause if you want me to go with you, I need to laugh.”

“Laaaaaaaaaady…” She wanted to laugh, well, I could do a passable Jerry Lewis impression, mixed in with Dean Martin, you know, for after the laughing. Man… I had it bad.

Easy,

A man was walking down a river after a very long day at work. Nothing seemed to go right that day, and the thought of the river consuming his being seemed to whisper strongly in the back of his mind.

As he walked, a couple of friends sat on the river bank, just laying back and relaxing.

“Just idle on over and toss us a line, friend. We got nothing to do and no where to be.” said one.

So Billy, the guy who had just gotten off of work, tossed his line out and “got his beer goggles on,” or basically got drunk.

The original fisher who asked Billy to sit looked very intently at him. When the fisher caught Billy’s eye, he said “Sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing, that stuff. You forget, and you forget. Sometimes life gets sticky, and life can bruise, but it is best to remember it. To live life when you laugh, be sure to laugh out loud so you can live and remember it.”

Billy, somewhat astonished at such an odd phrase, slowly looked around at the people sitting on the bank.

Suddenly, they began to blink away. No noise, light, anything. They just, pop, gone.

Then there was only Billy and the fisher who talked. The fisher looked around and asked “Are you telling me that you’ve never seen an angel?”

Then, suddenly, he too vanished.

Billy picked up the stout, rough stick that the fisher had. Carved into the wood were words he had told his wife and daughter, but had not said for a long time.

-Holdin’ you close, chasin’ that moon-

Billy rushed home, hugged his family, and never forgot. Billy held onto his family and chased his moon.

“Listen closely, my friends. I was not always the beer swilling shambles of a man that now drools before you! No! For those of you occupying your own barstools for the umpteenth year, you know that not to be the case. I used to be a strictly monday and friday guy. Monday at six pm, one beer and gone. Friday at six pm two beers and home for the weekend. Now I show up at work even less than I used to show up here. But as you know, life gets sticky, life can bruise.

You all know the story. Her name was Mary. Oh Mary! I can remember holding you close, chasin’ that moon in the western sky. But the story…ahh yes the story. Her name was Mary, my name is Billy, along came Freddy, Mary forgets about Billy and now Billy’s got his beer goggles on. By the way. Screw you Freddy.

Nope. I was not always the reeking slob who now burbles into his glass every day including Sunday. I see you over there chuckling at me. That’s OK. When you laugh, be sure to laugh out loud. Share the joke with the rest of this group. God knows they need it! Hah!

Let me get another sip here…..

Mary taught me alot. Love is sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing, but it’s the one thing that separates man from the aminals. Crap. Aminals. Aww hell. Let me get another sip….

Shuccessfull accountant. Tha was me! Wake up, punch the clock, get my check, shuffle on home. Alone. Thanks for the lessons Mary!

Lookit the people walkin by ousside. Smilin’, havin a good time. Hustlin’ bustlin’. They never look through the windows to the drama that unfolds itself in here on a nightly basis.

Hey people! Just idle on over and toss us a line! Let us know we exist!

Damn. Need a refill.

Frickin Mary. Stinkin’ Freddy. They deserve each other! Oh yeah! I hope they get Scabies! Lemme get another sip….”

And

Thump!

Goodnight.

A room filled with neurotic gardeners isn’t my thought of a quality night time. But right here i’m caught within the core of a few kind of an odd annually gardeners collecting and all by myself i beweep my outcast state. I don’t have compatibility in right here because it look to be a complete extraordinary global. The global will little observe nor lengthy take into account my presence right here. I uncover my self some distance from the madding crowd and considering how you can be my tootsie wootsie within the well ancient summertime.. Suddenly i’m introduced again to truth through a random query approximately soiled knees and that i brush aside it speedily through announcing” I’ll must assess with my physic consultant approximately that”. I uncover my self drifting once more……. To the moon, Alice, to the moon! That’s in which your ideas take me! It is over now and and i’m completely satisfied that they’re shouting “Nip it! NIP IT IN THE BUD!!”, as I understand now that i’m loose to move and wander with my ideas of you….