Ahh, mornings, the beginning of the day, as some would call it. Some wouldn't, but others would call it morning because that's what it is. I love having coffee in the morning. I usually cup my hands and see how much I can slurp up before it hits the ground. That coffee is hot stuff, let me tell you. After I clean the floor, I usually do this 3 to 4 more times, depending on how sleepy I am. I love taking a nap after my morning coffee to make sure it's working. Every so often, I'll fall asleep, but most of the time, I lie there awake and happy that the coffee is working. I will normally do this for 2-6 hours, depending on the weather outside. Then it's time to start my day! I hop into the kitchen for my first meal and throw the bananas in the pan to sear for a few seconds on each side, just as my father likes it, and voilà. I dive into my breakfast and realize that it's missing something. Another great cup of coffee. I mosey my way over to the coffee pot. I cup both of my hands because I want creamer too this time. I slurp and clean a few times. Whew, what a morning.
Roger wore a bowtie nearly everyday and by nearly everyday, I mean everyday. He had one for every occasion, even casual Tuesdays. Occasionally, he would wear more than one at a time. This caught Stella's attention and for a reason unbeknownst to her, the bowties were irresistible. She couldn't get enough. She finally gathered the courage to knock on his door. She knocked but immediately got worried that she didn't knock loud enough. Roger was probably doing something important, as someone with a bowtie usually is. Maybe he didn't hear the first one because there was 6 seconds of idle time so Stella decides to knock with more authority. In that very moment, Stella also decides that she is going to play a joke on Roger because since he wears bowties, he likes to be playful. Stella knocks on the door 3 times in a row louder which each knock, and joking yells, "POLICE, OPEN UP". Roger answers the door in a cheerful mood. "Well, I didn't know it was a crime to be fashionable". Stella laughs harder than she should but Roger doesn't notice. Stella follows him into the living room where the couch seems to be made entirely of bowties. The wall was covered in framed photos of bowties. Stella seats herself on the bowtie couch with her legs crossed (like a bowtie). Roger was cooking dinner and there was a box of bowtie pasta next to the pan. Stella starts to wonder if Roger likes bowties too much? She started to think about their life together and began to ask the one question she never knew she would have to ask. "Would the bowties, the thing that she once loved the most about Roger, actually be their kryptonite?" She couldn't risk it and decided to confront him about it. "Roger, if we are to continue down this path, you are going to have to fork over your bowties!" Stella realized that she made a joke about bowtie pasta and started to giggle rather loudly. Roger loved her bowtie humor and was excited by her own excitement. Stella is still laughing, even she is surprised by it all. She soon becomes a human being again and decides that she is frustrated by Roger not taking her seriously. Roger was now setting the bowtie pasta on the bowtie plates and was on the cusp of asking if Stella wanted another glass of Bowtwine (yeah.). Stella became furious and started to scream, "WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME LIKE YOU LOVE BOWTIES?". She stormed out, slamming the door behind her causing more than one painting to fall. Roger actually had turned around for a moment to check on the bread in the oven (which was just about done but not quite yet) and had missed Stella's exit.
Geoff was born Jeff. He never felt comfortable with his name and resented his parents for giving it to him. Jeff thought he was destined to be Jeff for the rest of his life, with no hope for the future. He had a hard time growing up with the name Jeff. He was constantly mistaken for another white kid, all of them, to be exact. He started to like NASCAR, but he didn't even want to. He found himself starting to yell at the TV, going even louder to make sure they heard him, even though deep down, Jeff knew they couldn't hear. Jeff got a mortgage, and he was only 8 years old because he had to "get his life together". He started saying things like, "These young people have no clue," but he himself had just turned 10. He would talk about the war and how he fought in it, even though he most definitely didn't. Jeff had a friend named Biff, and they only talked about fishing hooks. He created an Instagram account and posted only motivational quotes from billionaires. Jeff would send savings bonds to his siblings for their birthdays, despite his deep distrust of the establishment, while simultaneously taking a lot of pride in his nation. Jeff's life changed forever on one fateful morning when the bartender, whom Jeff had hit on more times than she could count, said, "Hey Jeff, you can stop being Jeff if you want." Jeff never knew that he could be anything else besides Jeff. It was that morning at the Buffalo Wild Wings bar that Jeff decided to change and change for the better.
Jeff decided to reinvent himself completely, and from that day forward, he was a new man. He became Geoff, and he was so relieved that he had finally felt like he could breathe in the world. He completely changed, and all of his old habits died with Jeff. He was really starting to enjoy his new life. He ran to tell the bartender from before, eagerly awaiting her response. He knew that she would be proud because she had encouraged him to make a change. The bartender wasn't making eye contact and was talking to a guy named Jeff at the other end of the bar. After several attempts to get her attention, she finally walks over. Expecting her to finally show her excitement, she calmly says, "No one likes guys named Geoff".
A homeless man asked me for a beer the other day. It was the weirdest thing because I just happened to have exactly what he was looking for. I did want to know why he wanted it, though, as it was so obviously mine at the moment. He told me that his birthday was the week before. I wasn't entirely convinced, but the fact remained that my birthday was further away than his, and if it was what he needed, I suppose it was the least I could do. He asked if I could open it for him, and I agreed and did so. Now, I am not necessarily one to promote giving alcohol to strangers, but this felt different. It felt like that beer was meant for him, and he needed it more than I did in that moment. He realized that he had something for me too, he looked me in the eyes and started to cry. I quickly tried to comfort him and ask what was wrong. He told me that he only had a little bit of heroin left and no one to share it with. I could see it in his eyes, so I did what anyone would do, and I did all of that heroin with him. It was his birthday last week, after all.