Pay no attention to the grouchy old man behind the computer

Those of you who know me probably know that I try to write here every weekday. Sometimes it is difficult. Other times it is impossible, for one reason or the other. I would say that is the way it is for every dedicated writer, or dare I say,  every person who toils for one reason or the next. Today is one of those days it is difficult.

The computer situation at work — shall we leave it thus as it is too damned complicated to explain — first exasperated me.

Then there was the business I need to visit to make a payment that apparently has never heard of regular hours.

And then, well, let’s just call her S.C.

S.C. was once one of my closest friends. I saw her today at the supermarket. I haven’t spoken to her in maybe three years although we both live and work within several blocks of each other.

I am not totally sure what happened to end our friendship. Make that, I am not sure why she ended our friendship. It was more like a break-up of a romantic relationship, something of which I have had too much experience. That’s too many break-ups, not too many romantic relationships. Ours wasn’t a romantic relationship although I think if someone didn’t know us they might think we were a couple. We certainly argued a lot. She never really said for sure why she ended our friendship. I like to, jokingly, think it was because I allegedly broke her toilet tank one night when I was sleeping on her couch. I know she had issues with me though. The toilet incident might have been the straw that broke that relationship’s back.

Those issues she harbored against me, she never shared, but I know what they were about. I won’t say how I know. But I was once a reporter and have ways of finding things out. These were issues that, had she just said something to me about it, I could’ve corrected my behavior. That didn’t happen though because. S.C. would go out of her way to avoid confrontation.

I think the last time I had a conversation with her was on the phone one night. I didn’t know that she had sent me a letter and for lack of a long explanation, I didn’t get it until much later. One of the things which she said upset her was something that occurred when we had run into each other at another store in another town at another time. We coincidentally both happened to be working that day.  I said: “Hey S.C.,” quietly, upon passing her. She apparently didn’t hear me so she thought I had snubbed her. Today, she was in the line for the courtesy booth at the store as I was walking out. I said hello, again quietly, upon walking out. All she did was crinkle up the ends of her mouth for a nanosecond, it seemed like more of a smirk or that she had just stepped on a piece of dog shit.

So I am also kind of mad about that. But I will get over it. Looking on the bright side, at least I was able to draw more than 500 words out of my crappy day.