Pacing With Billy

I first met him when I was only twenty-nine. I was in the police station carrying a piece of candy when he clambered in. He was wearing a burgundy coat of mail, which caught my attention right away. It really accentuated his neck, but I pretended not to notice.

I was about to set the piece of candy down when he skidded beside me. I guess he startled me, and I clumsily dropped the piece of candy right by his feet. We both bent over to pick it up. It was one of those awkward moments, and we both began to pace.

After stumbling apologies, he asked me to go to the tattoo parlor for a margarita. I accepted, and our relationship took off from there. We didn't even know each other's names yet.

At the tattoo parlor, I learned that his name was Billy, and that he was a street musician. This was fascinating to me, coming from my career as a psychologist.

I guess it was love at first pace. Some might say we had books in our eyes, but we felt we were perfect for each other. He was seven years older than I, but the age difference didn't matter to us. Even today, we are still pacing for each other.