around and showed me his face again.His hack was familiar too,
but there are a million backs that look like hi s.The mall sud-
denly gat crowded enough so that I couldn't run through it.
I just had to be patiant and walk as fast as possible.He.
ran quite a routine.He walked in and out of thirty-eight
stores before he stayed in one long enough to find out what
kind of store it was.That was characteristic of somebody I
know-but who?I can't remember his name.At last,he turned a-
round enough for me to see his face.
"William Scottiii"I yelled out loud like a dingbat.He
• ♦ turned my way and saw me.
"Mark ThomasJ?Is that you?"he said disbelievingly.
"Sure it isi"I said flapping my arms around knocking-
peoples packages over and making people think I was wierd.
"I don't believe it 1 He said loudly .We bo/th started walk-^^
ing slowly, toward each other as we tiled to remember each
other's faces.He looked so old.It's only been ten years,
haw could he. have aged so. much?Oh yeah,It's been fifteen
years."Where have you been ya aid bastard you?"
"I've been around.What*re you doing in Chicago?You don't
live here do you?"
"No. way do I live here.I almost got mugged three, times
since I've been here,which is two weeks.I live in California..
What have you been doing?"
"Oh,not much...."We went on for hours talking about old
times.It was nice meeting him.We left the mall and went walk-
ing around Chicago like coinnessures of fine cities.He in-
sis ted he show me the place that he hangs out in this city.
It was. a rather quaint,but nice bar in the middle of town.
We must have been in that bar all night,but I don't know,I
wasn't keeping; track of time.After a while,which was about
seven hours,I eased into what was really bothering me.
"William-you remember the time we went to that soccer
game to celebrate high school graduation and everyone got
last?"