Since my younger brother was not yet home by 9:00 p.m. last evening from wherever it was that he was drinking, I was to bed by 9:30 p.m., although sleep was no eager visitor.
I wanted to get up early in the a.m. for some potential activity, and to also put in some work on the post I have in development at one of my six hosted websites. And so it was, around 1:30 a.m. I did find myself awake and decided to rise.
My wife was not yet home from working Monday at her friend's Thai restaurant. In fact, she may not have been home since Thursday morning. She spends her weekends somewhere in Vancouver, but she usually does come home after working on Thursday.
I can only suppose that she got involved in partying after working that evening and decided to stay and sleep elsewhere.
Such is our marriage.
Anyway, she did show up around 3:00 a.m., I suppose; and soon enough, she went to bed. The restaurant opens at 11:00 a.m., but it is a fair drive from where we live; and she has an undeniably long workday.
I haven't posted five photos that I downloaded from her Facebook account that she evidently posted on Hallowe'en when she was at work ─ she is in costume ─ so I shall do so now.
My wife comes alive with enthusiasm when she is having fun, and I have to confess that when I see her grinning in her unrestrained, joyous fashion, I still find her to be very beautiful:
My work on the website post carried on longer than planned. I had hoped to get away and have a goodly walk, but it was at least 4:15 a.m. before I got myself underway.
My eldest stepson rises around 6:00 a.m. to begin readying for work, so I wanted to be back home and in bed before he did so. If I failed, I would have to remain up until he finally left on his drive, for he cannot be relied upon to lock the front door if he rises and sees that I am upstairs at work here at my computer. He will too likely just leave for work without checking to ensure that I am still up and have not gone back to bed.
Thus, I wanted to be back home no later than 5:30 a.m.
In all, I may have managed to put in approximately three miles, strolling through some of Whalley. Quite early into the walk, I had intended to do two sets of pull-ups on the gymnastic-style rings at an elementary school's playground. That section of the playground is right by the school's lighted side doorway to its gymnasium.
However, upon arriving there, I discovered someone ─ perhaps homeless and a junkie ─ rummaging through some of his baggage under the doorway light, quite out of sight from the main road.
Well, I bloody had no intention of putting on a display for his benefit, so I just continued on my way. Nevertheless, that stop had been my main reason for going out at all, and it just seemed my ill luck that the very first human being I would encounter early into my trip had to be right at this key destination.
As I crossed the school's playfield, my bad humour took control and I was audibly cursing and blaspheming.
I was somewhat astonished by the numbers of homeless people I did see during my walk ─ a few sheltered bus stops had them trying to sleep on benches, and I even saw one person at the doorway to the public library sitting with knees drawn up under his or her (the person was hooded) chin, perhaps in a semi-conscious doze.
It had rained overnight, and everything was drenched.
From the vicinity of City Hall, I went so far as to take a brief tour along University Drive, and then turned onto 105-A Avenue and followed it to City Parkway as you ought to be able to identify on this Google map. Hookers often frequent that block of terrain that is defined by 105-A and 105th Avenues, and University Drive and City Parkway.
I encountered one young thing as I walked along 105-A Avenue ─ she was in the dark and posted at the corner of 134-A Street. She looked like she was probably quite attractive, and she had a very pleasant voice as she first softly greeted me, and then almost shyly asked me if I wanted some company.
As friendlily as I could, I gently laughed and declined her offer, and correctly explained that I wouldn't be able to afford her.
She then asked if I was on my way to work as I was still moving along, so I responded no, that I was just out for a walk.
Finally, she asked hopefully if I had a phone she might be able to use. And then she wondered aloud to me if it was at least 4:30 a.m. yet. As it happened, it was 4:38 a.m. Perhaps whomever she was wanting to phone did not get up until 4:30 a.m.
The poor lass was clearly on some sort of drug, for she could barely stand still, doing her best not to involuntarily dance about.
I didn't much mind her using my phone, so I advanced to her and offered it. Then I gave her a few feet of privacy while she phoned some fellow she hoped would be willing to hook up with her.
He apparently told her what she wanted to hear, and she said that she was "on the strip" ─ i.e., that area of Whalley infamous for the homeless, drug addicts, and hookers.
She handed back my phone and in her pleasant voice thanked me, suggesting that she had just been "touched by an angel" ─ in other words, me and the use of my phone
And then off she went, trying not to dance along her way as she preceded me down the street. Even though she was walking quite quickly, she struggled so much to control her involuntary movements that she wasn't making any distance on me, and it was almost a little embarrassing that I could probably have been deemed to be following her, for she even turned right onto City Parkway like I then did in order to begin my walk back home.
There was another young woman posted at the corner of City Parkway and 105th Avenue, but she was in full control of herself. And since she was sufficiently removed from the actual corner, neither of us spoke to the other.
She seemed to be in very good shape in a fit sense, for she was sporting a pair of tight athletic pants and she filled them out beautifully.
These poor girls are there in the gloomy night hoping that some safe "John" will come along and make their time out there worthwhile. It hurt me a little that I was in no position to do something for them. All I could do was be on my way, and hope that they were able to sense that I was someone who was at least safe, if not of any transactional benefit to them.
I passed through the property of that elementary school on my way home, and found that the unwanted earlier presence had moved on. I got in my two sets of pull-ups.
And I was back home just ahead of 5:30 a.m., so I wasted little time in getting back to bed. However, any sleep was a long way off.
I know that my wife will be coming home after work this evening, for her youngest son went with her this morning and came back home with the car to use for his own purposes today. Thus, he will have to go and pick her up after work ─ she won't be doing any partying.
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