Wednesday, May 25, 2011

We'll meet again on the avenue.


Spring is in the air.  This is my favorite time of year.  The sun is warming the air and the cool breezes bring sweet scents of blossoms and grass. 

The first days of warm weather bring so much activity to the street.  People open their front doors and sit on the front stoop with their neighbors and friends.  Breezes sweep through open windows of lace or sheer curtains, pulling back, for just a moment, the interior secrets houses held during the colder months.  The streets come alive with a cacophony of motor noises, barkers selling cold water, and chatter from people reconnecting. 

Earlier this month I was walking in Station North, moving south along Charles Street toward the Charles Theatre.  The Maryland Film Festival was in full swing and I was en route on this particular Sunday morning to spend some time in the volunteer tent.  Along the way I encountered two wayward men in debate.  Approaching me from behind, I hear:
Drifter #1: SHIT! Of course you should take it – 3 hots and cot, man.  That’s a good deal.
Drifter #2: I dunno man.  I don’t want to have to deal with that bullshit.  The cop said I could get probation.
Drifter #1: WHAT?! No way man.  Too much responsibility. That’s at least a year and you have to show up for shit.  You miss one check-in or get busted for sumthin' else and they’ll send you straight to jail anyway.  Then whaddaya got? Take the deal – 3 hots and a cot, man.
Ah, spring.