Stories

I was originally going to write this long thing today, telling stories about Zach and the (too) brief time that I knew him. BUT I've decided that, for now, I'm going to keep most of those to myself. I'm going to cherish them even more because they are private.

I will say this quick story. On our first "date," we had been up talking on the phone all night, and it was time for both of us to go to our respective responsibilities, but we decided to meet up for coffee afterward. Only, Zach didn't really drink coffee, he drank Chai Tea Lattes, which I had never tried. We ended up talking all day outside a Starbucks (keep in mind, we had been on the phone probably a good 5 hours the night before). Afterward we saw the 5th Indiana Jones movie in theaters... I almost fell asleep, Zach definitely fell asleep. But before falling asleep, he kept looking at me. I finally whispered something along the lines of, "you can't watch the movie if you're looking at me." And he said something to the effect of, "but you're more interesting than the movie." I wish I could remember the exact words. I turned about 20 shades of red and smiled the rest of the movie. I want to cry right now thinking about this moment. Partly because he's gone, and obviously things didn't last romantically, but the upsetting part is that I don't remember the details. I can't even remember how his voice sounds. I know I can watch old PC videos and hear it, but that might make it worse. I remember some things, like before we even started talking, when he was just being a good Drum Major getting to know his corps, he took the time to ask me if I prefer Sam or Samantha. Most people just call me Sam (or Sammy Sue), and leave it at that, I don't mind. But Zach actually asked. And he called me Samantha, because he was one of the few people to know that I prefer my full name. He was that kind of person. He was so considerate and honest. Sometimes brutally honest. Anyway, It wasn't until shortly after he died that I actually tried a Chai Tea Latte. I love them. I don't know if I love them because of him, or because they're just good. Either way they remind me of him, and that day.

Moving on from things that depress me (because today was easier than I expected, but still very hard), I'm going to write about a song that has been stuck in my head lately. It's called 'Fire Escape' by the band Half Moon Run.

Lyrics:

Hey Dark Eyes,
Rest with me a while as I drift closer to sleep
Still cannot
Still cannot find no peace

You let go the glass at our feet
It rained through the night
And you, take the fire escape
Run down the street to the church

Hey Murderer,
Killin' keeps us close enough
Every breath you steal is a breath that I breathe for

You let go the glass at our feet
It rained through the night
And you, take the fire escape
Run down the street to the church

You let go the glass at our feet
It rained through the night
And you, take the fire escape
Run down the street to the church


Now, I've been toying with the idea of a writing exercise: write a story using song lyrics as an outline. I'm sure that this isn't a new idea or anything, but it seems like something interesting. I want to try doing it, and I'm considering using this song. Or 'The Funeral' by Band of Horses (my favorite song, in case you're wondering, "why did she just say that out of nowhere?"). Like a story, a song (usually) has a beginning, middle, and end. But songs are (usually) more poetry than story. This makes them a little more open to artistic interpretation.

Who is the speaker talking to in the song? Are "Dark Eyes" and "Murderer" the same person? What happened? What is the significance of the "glass at our feet?" Why must they "run down the street to the church?" These are the kinds of questions that can be answered through story. And that's just if I decide to take a more literal approach to the lyrics. I think this could be very fun. Somewhere between trying to organize winter guard, figure out student loan crap, finding a real job, finishing marching season, subbing, working for my dad, the books I've started, and video games, I hope to try this out.

Ok, I've totally written this post out of order and feel a little more depressed than when I started writing it. Until next time.