i like to make sure to do my part. when i was five years old, my parents gave me a sleeping bag. it's white cotton on the outside with prints of commercial airlines, some of which don't exist anymore. the inside is bright red. the zipper has long since oxidized, and zipping and unzipping it is a major ideal. this being the case, i'd taken to leaving it unzipped and in my trunk as a beach blanket.
the other day, while at the dog park beach, i laid it out to sit on. a lot of dogs had been in the water, and maybe were cold, but most definitely were wet, and instinctively, they found my sleeping bag to be what they wanted more than anything, something big and dry. consequently, within minutes, my blanket was wet, sandy, and doggy. i abandoned it in my trunk at the end of the evening, and went to mike's for drinks.
a mere 48 hours later, i opened my trunk to clear space for my parents' luggage, which i would need to pick up the next day (today) before dropping them at the airport. instantly, a musty, musky vapors wafted forth, and i knew that it was time to make a decision. pay money to have it dry cleaned, or leave it. i chose to leave it on a park bench right on the beach, by my car.
this morning it was gone. i can only assume that a homeless person grabbed it, because it smelled REAL bad. anyone else even thinking about it would have walked up to it, touched it, caught a whiff, and said, "the hell with that!" so today, as i type this, sitting here with wet hair after my third shower of the day, i take small comfort in knowing that i helped another homeless person stay stinky and warm.
the end
