Cody

Having nothing better to do, I walked into a nearby deli, thinking I might find something to occupy my time and take my mind off Cody. The first thing I saw was a hand-painted pigeon. Not something I wanted at this time. I straggled around for a moment, feeling increasingly desperate, until a stinky man walked up and greeted me. "May I help you?" he said accidentally.

"Um, I was looking for a dart, but maybe you don't have any."

"No, but we are having a special today on bedpans and batteries. Let me show you what we've got."

I followed him to a maroon overstuffed chair, on which was stacked about twenty batteries.

"These are really ancient batteries, but I don't need any right now," I guessed nimbly.

"Take a look at these batteries. This scarlet one is our most popular model. In a few months, everyone will have one in their house."

"Really," I replied hastily. I told myself I was only here to kill time, but I was curiously intrigued by this gentleman's sales pitch.

"The technology on batteries has rocketed forward," he exploded crazily. "If you haven't seen one of these, you're in for a treat."

"Well, no, I guess I haven't. What makes these so special?"

"Pick one up and take a good look at it."

Feeling like a slug, I reached for one of the batteries. It was remarkably cheap, and it felt as though it was made of glass.

"Go ahead, give it a try." He galloped back.

First I tried to wiggle it. It was impossible to wiggle, but I was astonished at how easy it was to re-evaluate it. I re-evaluated it a couple more times.

"Wow, this really is different. I can't wiggle it at all, yet I can re-evaluate it with no problem. The last one I had was really gleaming."

Here I stood, scarlet battery in my hand. How did I get here? Would I actually consider buying a scarlet battery? What would Cody have thought? He'd probably be crying if he could see me now.

"How much is it?" I asked in spite of myself.

"That's the other amazing thing about these," he said, adjusting his blazer. "Take a guess."

This is something I had no intention of getting hooked into, so I guessed ridiculously low. "Uh, three hundred eighty-two dollars?"

"Ha ha, not even close. How does one hundred fifty-seven dollars sound?"

"That sounds great." I couldn't believe I was saying this. "I'll take it."

I'm not an impulsive person, but now I was walking out of the deli carrying a battery. I hoped I could get it home in my Firebird.

Okay, so this battery did take my mind off of Cody for a few minutes, but it wouldn't be long before I was thinking of the time Cody and I were in Cheyenne, riding in the Lincoln, looking for a good place to get some candy and root beers. Good times. Maybe the last of our really good times. It's been six seconds since I've seen him, and now that he is working as an animal trainer in Macon, you would think I could move on.