Hanging Out

I shamefully decided to call Tim and Nicholas, well, I hadn’t seen them since the Gold Coast trip, now, when was that, last November? I thought of Perry, I thought of Charlie, but I had been meaning to call Tim and Nicholas for I don’t know how long. Since November, I guess.

I was twiddling my fingers at home, which led to boredom and too much time to think. I clearly, I needed a smoke, as obvious as the nose on my face, not that they knew that.

Tim and Nicholas were off to Thailand on Friday.

Nicholas said he had some growth in his ear that was affecting his hearing. He sounded worried about it, when I said I’m sure it would probably turn out to be nothing.

They seem to be discovering travel, just lately. 

But no pot, Nicolas was out, or Tim was making him abstain or something.

So, I headed home. No, not as soon as I realised there was nothing to smoke, no, not that soon. I chatted a bit.

But not too much, no, my mission was done there, after all. And while I love Tim and Nicholas, loved Tim and Nicholas once, without the bong being offered to me every so often, well, as shameful as you might think this admission is, why would I be there. Oh yes, I know, what a bitch, but without pot, they are less interesting, let’s face it.

And as it turned out – do I have to admit to the possibility of a god with this happening – Sebastian arrived, soon after I got home. 

“You doing anything?” asked Sebastian.

“No,” I said.

“Well, roll this into something.” 

He handed me a larger than normal plain white envelope open at one end. I smiled to myself, as I spied the gunger inside that envelope.

As if my self-focused, contact of old friends for ulterior motives counted for nothing and I was, actually, being rewarded with the universe providing. Lovely. It’s pretty charmed when you think about it. Hey?

And there you have it.

“Do you have cigarettes?” I asked.

“No,” said Sebastian. "I told you I quit."

Shane said no too. He's quit also,

So, I had to go around to the shops to buy some cigarettes to mix with the pot because we have all quit smoking. Go figure. Still, it was the least I could do, even if my feet were hurting from all the walking, I had already done, chasing my addictions.

Sebastian, and I, sat on the wicker chairs on the back veranda, smoking spliff after spliff, talking shit about the world.

“Life is good,” I said.

“Yeah, pretty good with me too,” said Sebastian.

“You wouldn’t be dead for quids, now would you.”

“No, not for a second,” said Sebastian. “Not for anything.”

We gazed out into the garden, out into the world.

“You rolled another one?” asked Sebastian.

“No, not yet,” I said.

“Well,” said Sebastian. “What’s stopping you?”

“Oh, dunno,” I said. “Waiting for you to give me the nod, I guess.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “Just keep them coming, I’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the day, how about you?”

“No, no plans.”

“Well, go on, get rolling.”

“Your wish is my command.”

So, there you go. If you want some sort of moral to this story, I guess it would be, um, er, chuckle, get to and bot off your friends, because even if they can’t provide what you need, the universe will hear you and it will provide where other fall short.

Do you like that?

“You got that joint rolled?” asked Sebastian. “I’m gagging for another over here.”

“Voila,” I said. I held the freshly minted joint in the air. 

“Well, its no good to any one unlit,” said Sebastian. “Would you care to do the honours.”

“I would care indeed,” I said.

I flicked the lighter, the white cigarette burned red at the far end, I sucked the herby tasting smoke into my lungs. I took 2 more drags then I handed it to Sebastian.

Sebastian took the joint from my fingers. “You are a prince among men,” he said. He puffed on the joint. He blew the smoke into the air. Then he turned and looked at me. “Why aren’t you rolling the next joint?”

“Oh, yes, I’m on it.”

“Idle fingers are the devil's, um, er…” said Sebastian.

“I’ve always said that,” I said.

We both laughed.

Sebastian handed the joint back to me.

The day was gentle and serene.