Midnight

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.