He stepped out onto the concrete steps in front of his walkup and lit a cigarette. The early morning sun was just starting to heat up the cool spring air, and a warmish breeze blew across his flip flops, tickling his feet. He exhaled the first drag a little too loudly. It sounded like a sigh.
The trees lining the street were just starting to sprout leaves, and they rustled slightly in the light wind. A cloud moved from in front of the sun and it shone down more brightly, warming his face. He looked up into the sun, squinting his eyes, and held that position until another white fluffy cloud lazily covered it up again, casting a shadow over him. He took a long drag, and held it until his lungs burned.
His motorcycle was parked streetside underneath the nearest tree, covered with a tarp. He considered it, and thought of going for a ride. He pictured the warm air blowing through his helmet as he sped along the beach roads going nowhere in particular, everyone else's life flashing by him in snapshots. A minivan full of kids wearing soccer uniforms. A grocery delivery truck parked on the side of the road, two mexican gentlemen unloading handfuls of white plastic bags. A little red sportscar driven by a balding accountant trying to relive his high school glory days waiting at a traffic light. Nobody wearing a polo shirt should be allowed to listen to Motley Crue. Especially not that loud.
None of it was calling to him. He sighed, and took another drag.
He thought of going for a hike. The sun peeked out from the cloud cover for a moment and warmed his face and he closed his eyes. He pictured the gravel trail up the mountain, the blue skies overhead, his calves aching from the climb, his camera bouncing off of his chest.
It didn't seem real enough to him. He looked at his cigarette, almost down to the filter, and felt like he was running out of time. He felt like the rest of the world was moving faster than he was, and he had no chance of catching up.
He finished his cigarette, flicked it onto the sidewalk, sighed, and went back into his apartment to go back to sleep.
