Lubbock

At first he could turn thoughts of her on and off like a faucet. On, the way she titled her head back when she laughed. Off, did he remember to send his Aunt a birthday card? On, how when she wore the color green it made her eyes stand out. Off, did he take out the trash?

Though lately, the memories of her seeped into him like a perfume. He tried to forget about her. She lived in another state, another time zone. 2148 miles. On paper it wasn’t much but it might as well as been another country in his mind. His feet were planted firmly in Lubbock, Texas. He still lived at home, the son of a bitter, angry Mother and a passive Father. He passed the time by thinking, it didn’t matter what about. He wrote poems and invented things. He created his own language called “Pig French” that was like Pig Latin but except with French words. He wrote plays and made up songs in the shower. Anything but think of her. Lately, the memories of her flew into his pores. He breathed her in like air. He tried to invent a way around it. A pair of pants that you could put on and put in coordinates and it would walk you to your destination. A hat that would beep when it was close to people who loved you, like a metal detector so that if you were lost you could find your way home.