Date Night (Wind: Writers Group Excerpt)

Last night was date night, we made burgers together and then walked down to the theater cutting through the alleys to come up behind the theater, noticing the peeling paint of Marlon Brando. Maleficent was on it's final night. The scenery in the movie was beautiful almost like a constant painting. After the movie we walk up the street in the twilight to Marko's against the constant spring wind for cocktails and conversation. 

It's dark when we leave, and still the incessant wind whips around corners and steals your breath. The kind of wind that is wicked enough to open latched doors. We walk home cutting through the lot next to the museum and then take the alley guided by the light of the almost full moon.  Walking in the dips and ruts, steering ourselves around the trees and bushes to catch Wick and Stephan's shadows in our yard peeing.

As we ourselves are talking about peeing in our yard on the walk home through the back alley. Laughing at the coincidence and at catching them with their pants down, Nick joins them peeing. After the markings and boundary's are set in the night soil we are invited back over to Wick's for a beer at the fire pit. His fence leans into the hillside and getting into his backyard is like getting into a tent. Dipping, ducking and gingerly stepping through the door to enter an enclosed dark world.

I stand at the rock fire pit and stare mesmerized into the flames. Wick has built it into the side of his yard tucked under a hill and that leaning fence. The protection of the fence and walls does not stop the wind and it sprays embers in fitful moments. I love a good fire, but fighting the desire to go on home and skip this moment of sociability. Then Nick pulls me into a conversation with Stephen that opens the floodgates of creativity and the love of writing. His major in college was Literature.

We stand and occasionally flip sides as the fire warms the front or back and when the heat reaches through to burn it's time to turn and braise the other side. Later, much later smelling of wood and flame our heads on the pillow are ruffled by the breeze as it climbs through the window. The smell moves around the bedroom and the peace and tranquility of a great date night lulls us to sleep.