on a dark street

Some friends are worth standing out on the sidewalk well past your bedtime just to talk to them for a few more minutes before they move away. Even on a work night.

We found a new roof deck a few weeks ago. This is a summer-changer. For a town with such amazing summers, and only 100 miles south of an awesome city with outdoor options galore, Universe City's outdoor dining options are limited to the point of pathetic. A covered north-facing corner just isn't going to do it in the land of cloudless summer evenings. 

So five of us sat out in the setting sunlight, eating pizza and mussels, drinking beer and girly drinks, saying goodbye, for now. At length, we migrated out to the street, where we stood at the bottom of the stairs to the parking structure as the night grew later. Pickups full of teenagers cruising by cranked their music so loud that our ears hurt half a block away. Cars eased down the alley, and we jumped out of the way to let them pass. There were hugs, and maybe another one for good measure. And not-the-end goodbyes, we hope.