Coming Home

Walking up the stairs, I heard Katie’s cries. She wasn’t to happy about being left home, alone for sixteen hours. Not working over the last ten months, she’d been used to me being around, playing with her, throwing her raw hide. She just loves to fetch! Buck and I sat at the Mexican place for a while, at a Tavern Table, on a Santa Barbara Sidewalk, we watched the parade. There was a lot of casual hustle and bussel to this town. We had some nuts pass by, they always add color to a neighborhood, they seem well tolerated in this town. This is a college town, a lot of smart people in this town, they seem to have a deeper understanding of the concept, “it takes a village.” A picture perfect Main Street, an eclectic collection of shops, refreshing. We left Krystal, explored the town a little, then took off for the shore. This time we went South, it was about two, our train was at four thirty. Flocks of Pelicans wading, resting in a tidal pool, sailboats moored off shore, volleyball on the beach, everything in place, for one of those magic moments. If they’re digital, are they still magic? Speaking of digital, my Blackberry was acting up a little, it was looking like someone was trying to reach me, there was a message, I was having a little trouble retrieving it. It was time for me to make a pit stop, not much around except for open beach, we took off inland. We were south of the zoo, lake side, on a road, intersecting with the tracks to LA. An interesting group of buildings, backed up against the tracks, among them a bar. Buck watches the bikes, I walk across the road. As I’m walking through the door, my Blackberry rings, its Nick, he had been trying to reach me, he had a job he needed to fill. My number came up, finally, after ten months, work! It got a little confusing in the bar, I had only come in to ask if I could use the head, this was a very nice spot, I looked a little rough. The bartender was deep in conversation, I needed a favor from him, I was a bit animated, after all, I was going to work. The man was kind, he gave me a pen, some paper, Nick, the dispatcher at my union gave me job location, company name, and contact person. I gave the bartender back his pen, he was happy for me, he could tell this was about good things. I’ll say again, I was looking rough, dishelvled may describe it better, the bartender was cool, I took care of business, thanked him, then left. I let Buck know quick about my job, as I was running across the road, he knows of the relief, going to work provides. It is a big change, to be wondering what you will be doing, instead of when you’ll be doing it. The details about this job are vague, I was told to just bring my bags. For me, I didn’t think the day could get much better, then it did, we started meandering back to the train station, we rode the road back to the beach, then north to the pier. The sun had started to drop, the light had changed, the ocean looked like blue black wrinkled satin. We were back at the station by four, better early than late with trains. There were lots of bush people by the train station, the train was late, I watched, fascinated, for about an hour, people moving in and out of bushes. No one seemed bothered by this, not even the Cops. Santa Barbara is Disneyland clean, this bush action, offers a little contrast to the picture. About a half hour late, we threw our bikes on the train, the same crew was working the southbound train that brought us north earlier in the day. The same woman worked the baggage car, we handed off our bikes, she could see and she was glad for us, that we had such a nice day. Buck and I opted for the table in the cafe car, the conductor was cool with it, he had let us on at the front of the train. We beat the rush, passengers were boarding a few cars behind, the station had been crowded, lots of people heading south. As I was busy watching the bush people of the station, there was a woman watching Buck. At a lull in the action, of what I was watching, I noticed and pointed it out to Buck. She was with another woman, and a group of kids, not a proper time for Buck to make a move. He knew she was looking him over hard, wonder what was going on in her mind? I’m feeling good about being an employed Carpenter again, there is this welcome uneasiness, not knowing how hot the fire is, that your being thrown into. Were about an hour South on our journey home, Buck is sitting with his back, to the back of the train. I don’t know why, maybe its just because I’m from Philly, I don’t like sitting with my back, to the door coming in. The cafe car had filled up a little, Buck and I were telling each other war stories. From the back of the train, the woman who had been looking over Buck at the train station, came into the cafe car. The look of relief, went all over her face, when she saw the back of Bucks head. It seemed she was bothered, she had lost track of him, boarding the train, in her face, I saw that hope was alive