Gary

People. Lots of people. Lafayette Square, illuminated by the dim street lights. Chow is packed as usual. It is freezing, yet the tables outside are filled, using heat lamps as a final lifeline. Tattooed and pierced, the waiters speed through their intermittent routes. Gary lurks. Across the street, Petars welcomes the young to dance and the old to decay. Diamond Dave wails. Back at Chow, the madness is incessant. A few single, middle-aged men sit at the bar watching the basketball game. The rest of the population is coupled, dating and married, young and old. The fresh faces of energetic new parents starkly contrast those of the seasoned veterans, a glimpse into the future. Children have graduated and the guard has been passed. This isn't the same town I grew up in.