The November cold has conquered the morning. But I am in a different kingdom as the warmth beneath my quilt keeps demanding my surrender. I force myself out and land on the cold hard-wood floor, half amazed at my will power. A victorious feeling immediately prevails as it meant an early start of the day, witness of the sunrise and fill my lungs with some fresh air. The whole last week of drizzle, cold and darkness has left me with damp lazy feeling and certain kind of gloom and I definitely need to shrug it off. This is my second North Carolina Autumn and I am already in love with its Autumn season when the leaves of the trees begin changing their color. Having lived many years of my youth in the bland-feeling, flat land of Texas, it took me no time to fall in love with North Carolina. Being at the crossroad of varied geography, I chose this place as I will be two hours south of the mountains and probably about the same time east to the beaches. The various hues of yellow, orange and red mating in the leaves of the trees in Autumn makes it a relaxing and soothing sight. Alas! This enjoyment is going to be short lived as the cold keeps creeping pretty early this year and was already stripping many of the trees of its beautiful leaves leaving them half naked.
As I walk briskly on the semi-damp, empty pavements of the neighborhood, the houses are still sleeping under the warmth of their comforters which they must have bought during some black Friday sale. Vehicle noises from the nearby busy roads serves as a reminder that there are mortals out there who also have an early start of the day. Somewhere in my heart, I develop a sympathy for them. Sympathy for not being able to idle in the morning, no sunrise witness. Although it has already been a week past Halloween but the remnants of the festive decorations still adorns the front yards and homes. The spider web that spreads over the front yard bushes, the tombstone turned yards, creeper risings and the carved pumpkins still tricks me into thinking if Halloween is still around. In few weeks, it will be time to buckle up for more holidays. There will be turkey eating Thanksgiving, then much awaited Christmas and then the love or hate start of the another year.
After my pursuit of happiness brought me to US in 2008, I had the opportunities to celebrate Halloween in different cities. Mostly it was in the big easy state of Lousiana. With some old friends, I had partied with the LSU crowd in Baton Rouge, and in the funky New Orleans. Last year's Halloween, I was out on the Franklin Street in the awesome college town of Chapel Hill, NC often famous for UNC-Chapel Hill, dancing, laughing, walking, looking, smiling and very happy. If I have to rank my best Halloween experience, New Orleans is the clear winner.
Oh New Orleans! What a night it was! Colorful faces and dresses conquered the Bourbon street where the police officers seemed helpless mounted on their horses. There were happy and loud people and music everywhere. It was an uprising of real happiness and I did not see any pretense in the joy and and happiness. Things appeared in to be in their most honest form, be it the joy, shout, and happiness. For a moment I had felt as if the world had never seen any problems and always been this happy. The cold-warm Bourbon street smelled of tobacco smoke and spilled drinks while the whole city felt joyous, shared common happiness. The celebration penetrated every nook and corners. It seemed as if the mankind has always been this happy and communal. It was inside this crowded bar among happy dancing mortals under the disco lights shining upon them and the loud music amplifying their emotions, I received the epiphany once again. All that the civilization needed was alcohol, food, music and fellow happy humans. The pantries of our societies have to be filled with these items to ensure the everlasting joy in the civilization. The atmosphere in the bar was very humble as it accepted everyone without any judgement. Everyone’s past had been forgiven and the future blessed. The only important questions of the moment were — “Are you having fun?” “Are you drunk enough?” “Should we check out the next bar?”
Great times! Amen to those beautiful times where past is erased from one's memory and tomorrow is not feared. Under the dark but flashy lights, loud but comforting music, crowded but solitude dance floor, I grabbed my present, the only treasure I possibly have. I pulled her close to my gyrating body until we could feel each other’s warm breath in a trance of happiness just like everyone else! She looked at me and the shine of her eyes melted me. My intoxicated eyes somehow put up to the challenge. The wealth of attraction between us was not lust or mere buzz from the bourbon hand grenades or the two dollar a cup beer. It definitely was not anything material. The sheer confidence we shared was the beauty of the moment. This moment was mine and it danced to my tune. With left hand around her waist, my right hand little swayed holding my drink, I kept the whole tango balanced. With a mild smile on my face, I asked her, my present “Will you always love me?”
I realize that I have been walking for 35 minutes now, 10 minutes over my usual time. It means that I have to cut short my shower time or gulp my breakfast to make it to my office at 9 am like a conventional employee. How different a halloween can be? Not a single kid knocked on my door for candies! Or do they know I do not have a sweet tooth? The only exciting thing I did this Halloween was spent few hours in the downtown with my wife watching the happy people storm the streets in their colorful, creative themes and persona only to come back to my car that was waiting with a parking ticket for parking in a taxi zone. Well, it was still the same me and the same festival Halloween. Only time had changed. My present had been altered!
