The sunshine of a fair summer morning fell graciously on Wilmawood. All along the downtown business district its heartening warmth infused traffic and pedestrians alike with a live and let-live mood. A light, carefree morning.
Bus drivers courteously eased out into traffic when pulling away from the curb. Policemen whistled happy tunes as they patrolled their beats. Dogs pranced ahead of their humans greeting all the passersby with a friendly tail wag.
Of all the spots in Wilmawood, that rise from Riverwalk to the heights of mid-town, none are more deserving of being described as a downtown Camelot.
At precisely nine o'clock the door of 601 Castle Street opened and the Claudia and Lupe duo steeped into Egret Coffee Bar and Dance Club. They were there to meet me.
"Lupe," I said getting right down to it without so much as one word of preamble, I've finally opened that gate and stepped out onto the yellow brick road. I'm on my way to the Emerald City. Nothing can stop me now."
"Watch out for flying monkeys," she said.
"Pay no attention to monkeys," I said, "nor torpedoes for that matter. It's full speed ahead for me."
There was a moment of silence when I expected a reply. I decided to fill it.
"My mom lived in the Emerald City for a while," I said.
"Don't get sidetracked," Lupe said. "Why are you so happy?"
I'm an optimist, Lupe," I said. "Always have been."
"Not really," she said.
"The older I get, the more I agree with Shakespeare about it always being darkest before the storm."
"The dawn," she said.
"I'm sorry," I said, "what did you say?"
"It's darkest before the dawn," she said. "And it wasn't Shakespeare."
"There's always a silver lining," I said. "and whatever you lose on the backswing, you make up on the followthrough."
"I couldn't say," she said.
"No matter, my friend," I said. "The point is that yesterday I was a mug expecting to get it in the neck and today I'm walking on the clouds and sitting on a rainbow and I'm singing while the sunbeams light up the sky."
"I have no idea what you're going on about," she said.
Did I mention that Claudia was with us? She was. I looked at her to get her thoughts.
"Don't look at me," she said.
"Doesn't matter," I said. "I've taken my problem to a higher power and that H.P. has come up with a plan."
"He's talking about Ms. Wonder," Lupe told Claudia.
"What a woman," I said. "What a brain. It must be all the fish she eats. Omega 3 oils and whatnot."
"Possibly," said Claudia.
"It's wild-caught Alaskan chinook," I said.
"I doubt it's the fish," said Lupe.
"You may be right," I said. "I remember her saying once that her mother thought she was a bright child. Perhaps she's just one of the gifted few."
"What about the Emerald City?" said Claudia.
"Yeah," said Lupe.
"Hang onto your hats, girls," I said. "I'm going to publish The Circular Journey in book form."
"Wait a sec," said Lupe. "I thought it was going to be adapted for the stage."
"And don't call us, girls," said Claudia.
"Is that it?" said Lupe. "A book."
"Not just any book. It's my book. The off-broadway boys want me to make changes and wholesale changes at that. But I'm not that kind of writer. I don't have any particular message that I'm trying to broadcast to the world.
"I just like creating a world where I feel safe and entertained. I'm still plugging away at it and haven't run into any messages yet. It looks as though unless I'm suddenly struck with a spiritual mission, humanity will remain a message short.
"Still, despite our ups and downs--I'm speaking of the two of you--we've somehow become pals. I see you as cute and funny, even though Lupe has a hot temper and a short fuse. And you two agree that I'm looney to the eyebrows. It all works out. Everything's nice and matey."
They looked at each other and then beamed a great big grin of agreement at me.
"Good," I said. "Let's keep it that way."