A Bit of Hopefullness In the Dark

I was at the apartment of my boyfriend, Chris, Friday evening. About 9PM I stepped outside his backdoor just so I could experience the night. Almost every evening I will wander out for a few minutes just so I can feel my little piece of the earth in the evening.

Behind Chris’s apartment there is a grassy field with a woodlot a few hundred yards off in the distance. I strolled out into the open area a ways to better take in the darkness.

It was an unusually mild night for January and I needed only a jacket. Overhead, half the sky was covered by some wispy clouds, clouds being illuminated slightly by the city’s lights. They looked as if they had been dabbed onto the heavens by an artist’s brush. Almost straight overhead there were no clouds, but there was Jupiter. And near Jupiter was the constellation Orion.

Now and then a gentle breeze came floating across the field. Way off somewhere I could hear a train whistle calling through the darkness. Once or twice I noticed the sound of a car traveling down a nearby street.

Sometimes a night seems happy to see me and sometimes it does not. Friday evening the night seemed to welcome my visit.

I had been standing alone in the field for about five minutes when Chris came out. He jokingly asked me if I were lonely standing out by myself and I told him that I wasn’t, that I had the darkness to keep me company, but he was invited too. Chris stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I rested my left hand on his interlocked hands while my right hand motioned up towards Jupiter. I told Chris that if he looked at the planet with decent binoculars that he could see a few of its moons. I then pointed to Orion and another constellation, the Seven Sisters. I think Chris was impressed that I would know such things. I was impressed that he found what I said interesting.

Chris and I have been dating for about a month. I’m starting to think that he is happy that he found me. I just hope my goofiness does not annoy him right out of my life. So far, so good.