Old Sparky

Another spontaneous excursion, this time north to Huntsville. I took the back roads through the Sam Houston National Forest. In the shadows of thick pines, windows down to enjoy the sap-scented air. I wondered at the unusual urgency, this need to maximize our time together. Where was it before? Perhaps it was the recent VA decision coupled with the increasingly frequent aches and pains of a fifth decade. No reason to mourn the time wasted, and no reason to anticipate the end, but every reason to use the hours as if they’re the last. A bit cliché, I know, but still. Lunch at Cafe Texan. Chicken-fried Steak, patty melt, iced tea. Browsed an antique shop on the square and walked the Texas Prison Museum. I found myself staring at the famous decommissioned electric chair known as Old Sparky. Crazy to think how many died in it. We are a brutal kind.