It is 7:45 PM.
I sit alone in a crowded parking lot.
Neon lights stare in as human eyes ignore.
Carts rush by and clank and clatter and crash and stop.
I taste and close my eyes.
And it is midnight.
For one second. For two. Three seconds. Five.
I open my eyes and it is 7:46 turning to :47.
The sweetness on my lips.
In my mind, it is midnight.
Dark chocolate sends the message of pleasure my brain so desperately needs.
I recall an earlier time.
Quiet, lonely nights.
Comfort found in food alone. Checks bounced to buy whole pizzas.
Tonight, it's midnight. For exactly 1 minute and 33 seconds, it is midnight.
The rest of the chocolate provides only momentary delight.
And midnight is gone.
By 8:03 PM I am home.
But for almost two full minutes that day, I felt pure pleasure.
