On the 4th of July, I broke my usual tradition of watching consecutive Twilight Zone episodes until my eyes became glazed. For once in my life, I celebrated Independence Day by relishing this country’s glorious (if not flawed) history. Without the past, our own independence would not have a future, et cetera…et cetera…
So I went to Philadelphia. I went to the Constitution museum, where I found out that I’m taller than James Madison. That right- That James Madison- the one that wrote the f@*$&in’ Constitution, bitches…
Okay…. That came out of nowhere.
Anyway, the Constitution Center, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, the Betsy Ross Museum, and the Liberty Bell. Each place had its own glorious ambiance, pulsating with nostalgia; it was as though the spirit of the past was right next to you, just waiting to be noticed.
Of course the feeling wore off after awhile. Among other things, I worked the graveyard shift the previous night and only attained one hour of sleep.
Then there was Gummy Bear. It had been less than two months since we broke up. On the bus ride to Philadelphia, thoughts of her lingered in my mind. Memories of our past times together flashed through my mind, with each memory sharply succeeding the next; it was like those cheesy montages you see in the movies, especially before the hero finally realized that he screwed up after all.
If anything else, I wanted to call her. Maybe I left something at her house. Perhaps there she left something in my car.
I didn’t call, by the way. That would be too obsessive, maybe borderline criminal. Antistalking laws weren’t just for Jodie Foster fans, after all. Besides, it was time to continue my life- to “move on” in other words.
Such thoughts repeated itself when I went on the Liberty Bell Tour. It came to the point where I just stopped following the group and pretended to read the inscription.
And that was when I smelled perfume.
