errands tender_square maybe it was prompted by the way we used to do things, and coming back here after a ten-day absence. maybe it was because he's bummed that the girl he's pining for is in a relationship ("it's not over," he said, "but it's an obstacle"). he took up the offer and tagged along for four stops: the pharmacy, the grocery, the gas station, the art store. for years, he was always saying how quickly i moved, literally and figuratively, and i know it now, the contrast sharp as he shuffles sluggish behind me in the cosmetic aisle while i search for a product that promises to be a magic eraser. he gives me enough distance to be a stranger as i pay for my script. as i cop feels of fresh produce, he jokes that he might as well punch himself in the face if god is going to keep doing it anyway. the tank takes nine gallons of unleaded while he emits nine sighs. at the craft store that bears his name, an old woman gazes hopefully at us and i want to clarify we're not together, though men only follow women into this place involuntarily. i grab two packs of paper capable of absorbing all the tears i've cried without buckling or weakening the fiber. they were buy one, get one half price. 230104 what's it to you? who go blather from