September half-moon

He's still not feeling well but he was hungry for chicken tikka masala, which I read as a good sign, and dropped an order off at his place. He texted later that he could actually taste it - slightly. He was more talkative and in a better mood today. He looked strong.

On the way back home, I stopped at a Cracker Barrel and ordered the fried chicken. I would have enjoyed it if not for the man about six feet away from me who was positioned in such a way that he seemed to be staring at the side of my chewing head. This annoyed me. In fact most everything human in that place annoyed me. 

Apparently I wasn't alone in that. The two ladies working the registers were giggling. The one taking care of me said she couldn't think straight. I told her the woman next to her was obviously jamming her signal. She told me she was always doing that. 

She said they'd been laughing because this young lady, who was now taking care of me, had been venting. "These ding-dang-diddly customers!" she'd said.

We three laughed and each of us said ding-dang-diddly, or some slight variation of that, aloud.

My grin faded slowly as I walked out of the restaurant. By the time I'd reached the parking lot it was gone without a trace. A half-moon had risen over the Comfort Inn. I wrote a little country lyric.

I'd like to spend tonight with you in the Comfort Inn

Dar-lin, my worried mind could use some comfortin'

The night felt pleasant. Inside the car, the radio played New Age ambient piano music. Nostalgia. September. It's what the Fall always does to you. 

Are you lonely? 

It was a female's voice, vaguely, from somewhere inside my head. She had a pat response built into the question, I could tell, so I didn't answer her directly.

Being around people only makes it more acute, I told her. 

There've been a few with whom it wasn't like that but, when I feel like this, it hurts too much to remember them.