These past few days I've learned how to parallel park, met and trained with a young taekwondo athlete from Denmark, and read a couple of Raymond Carver stories.

I went to a karaoke yesterday until the break of dawn with some friends and woke up today around the afternoon feeling exhausted and dazed.

One look at my phone call history and all I saw from the past few days were from wrong numbers, one friend, the driving school, and my mom. Nothing new. Nothing really stood out. The days kept passing by as if the world was fast forwarding and as soon as you knew it August made its way.

Sunglasses on I walked along the neighborhood. Everyday was the same, not that I was expecting anything different. Morning the birds would melodiously hum a tune, afternoon the restaurants get overcrowded, rush hour and the business people would come dashing out from the station and fiercely speed walk their way home.

My previous driving lessons I've been mainly working on parallel parking and aside from my axel control, that is my main flaw in driving.

On one of my attempts I parked too far from the curb. And sometimes, it was the opposite. Occasionally I'd nail it.

After the lesson I pulled over to the side and put the gear on park. My instructor, in his laid-back self, told me that it was just all a matter of practice and judgement.

With my hands still gripped in a nine to three position on the wheel, and the engine still running, I took a huge sigh and stared at the cars ahead and their taillights. Pedestrians walked by as they normally would while the interior of the car was significantly subdued. My eyes then began to fix on the road and its worn out lane marks.

"Hey," he said. "You good?"
"Yeah," I mumbled.
"Drifting off?"
"No pun intended?"
He laughed.
"Anyways, It's the end of the lesson, man. You're improving, keep it up."


I went home and opened up a paperback. I followed the sentences but my mind wouldn't keep up. Couldn't read today for some reason. Probably still tired from yesterday. Definitely tired from yesterday.



Panini in hand while plopped on a bench. Crickets crying in the trees, pigeons searching for food. And far away, the metropolitan drone. Clouds soundlessly drifting north, tree branches sweeping to and fro. Young couple flirting with joy across, the mercury vapor lamp shining their faces. Weak leaves falling. These lonely summer nights.