Markus was fifteen and I
was twelve in the summer
that we bought our
matching Ked sneakers
and those were the nights
we stayed up on the roof,
drinking sunshine from the
cream soda bottles we
bought at the corner store
two blocks south and one
block east of Main. Those
were the moments we
knew we were the only
sane ones left alive.
During the day Markus used
me to distract the corner
store clerk by buying out
a couple six packs of pop so
he could swipe a couple of
cigarette packs. Those were
the days we lived like no
one could touch us – and
we truly believed they
couldn’t.
Then Markus got older
and the weather got
colder and suddenly our
matching Keds weren’t cool
enough even though they
were the rage of the
season just one month
ago. Two blocks south and
one block east of Main wasn’t
far enough but I was
still only twelve when he
turned sixteen and I
found myself drinking
cream soda alone on
the roof, missing his
silence and cigarette
smoke.