TNT ... Chicago 18
1 To say that he was nervous would have been an understatement. 2 Understandably so, seeing as how this particular appointment was with the first person who had replied to his ad in the local rag -- an advertisement for which he had had to scrape and scrap just to place.
3 Luke adjusted his tie and tapped the table in the coffee shop, going through a checklist in his head regarding what he planned to say. 4 Tried as he did to focus, just the exercise of thinking about a checklist reminded him of the one he had made on New Year's Eve.
5 The ONLY thing from that list he had successfully crossed off was to stop drinking. 6 Well -- at least when it came to alcohol. 7 He had basically traded one drinking addiction for another -- but at least he had presence of mind when he was on an iced caramel macchiato bender. 8 It was a jittery experience, sure, but his decisions made while overly caffeinated paled in comparison to the ones he made when he was in a constant state of buzz.
9 "The journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step."
10 He repeated that bon mot to himself twice for good measure as he attempted to calm his nerves.
11 "The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time."
12 That one worked as well, although it did make him hungry. 13 Truth be told, his limited funds went toward his pricey coffees at the expense of a regular bite to eat more than not. 14 He made a mental note to retire that motivational mantra until he was firmly back on his feet with funds to spare.
15 "Just put one foot in front of the other ..."
16 What started out as a bit of positivity at first quickly took a turn.
17 "And soon you'll be walking out the door."
18 That refrain made him sad thinking about his wife and kids. 19 True, he was the one who went walking out said door, but he sort of had to after he had that affair with that girl at the pharmacy. 20 And *that* particular memory only served to remind him that getting closure with Maria was also an unfinished item from his list of resolutions.
21 "Your choices brought you to this place ... and your choices will lead you home," he muttered under his breath, unaware that someone was standing at his table -- until that person spoke to interrupt his self-help inner dialogue.
22 "Hello ... are you Luke? 23 I'm Matt ..." he said, as he stretched out his hand.
