On a Thursday evening

My brain is fried

I made it through another busy day and no one died

I can’t possibly talk to one more soul

All the interaction and problem solving has taken its toll

At 6:30 I go out to unwind, finally

Flip flops and shorts

My dog and I plop down in the front yard next to the porch

The day’s grand finale

Two plastic Adirondack chairs – one for my feet, one for my bum

Billy sits in the grass placidly

I hear him hum

“Urrrrrr” without opening his mouth

Looks like the neighbor let the cat out

The elderly man across the street yells, “Hey!” all friendly-like

His ginger greeting is a knife

He’s probably been sitting there all day with nothing to do

But I let it sink in and I muster up the strength to wave back – it’s the kind thing to do

Hoping for some peace to relax

The mailman approaches

I get up to greet him

“Just junk mail for you,” he says

I grab the card then sit again to rest my legs

A station wagon pulls up in front of the house next door

A woman gets out and goes into the house

In a moment she comes back out

She says to me, “Will you help me – I’m not sure what all these boxes are for,”

I get up and we move boxes off her porch to the street

All I can think about is my aching feet

This poor woman’s parents just died and she’s tasked with selling their home

All of a sudden I see the neighbor’s cat roam

He takes off zig-zagging through the yard  

Billy takes off from my yard  

I chase

His leash wraps around that woman then snaps

I see her wobble and then collapse

Into the house then out, all running

At the front of the pack is a small mouse

He moves too fast, finally disappears under the brick

The cat, Billy, me – not worth a lick

Stumped

The cat jumped his fence

I grabbed Billy

The whole ordeal was all so silly

The grass is all torn up now

My feet are dirty, heart hammering

My hair looks like a hurricane

Thankfully the poor neighbor lady was okay

I try to return to my Adirondack chair but it’s not the same

Across the street the elderly man chuckles

Who is to blame?

I pick up a piece of mail lying on the grass

A card that shows a pristine beach and an umbrella

“Need a break?” it says on the other side

And a cruise ship is advertised

The next day I book a cruise

In 3 months I’m on that boat

I board, take off my coat

Look around

There’s that elderly man, the mailman, the lady who fell, and the cat owner

No shot here or in my front yard of ever being a loner