2001-04-15 - 4:19 p.m.

The last time I saw Jake before we parted ways, we went for a walk for the lake. Something always draws me to water when I want to appreciate a moment or embark on a trip, as if the serenity of the water will inspire serenity in my journey and help me realize the vastness of the earth and the flow of time. I was heading out on a short trip east and Jake was heading out a long trip to anywhere but here. We�ve both been flailing around a bit � I need to find a way of living I can enjoy; he needs to find a place he can feel comfortable and really begin his life. So I figured we could use the walk and the water.

We were about halfway there when the light rain started to pick up. So we stood under the awning of an apartment building and store up at the night sky, listening for the rain to let up. After a few minutes it hadn�t stopped. I was leaning towards forging on and getting wet, he was leaning towards heading back, but neither of us felt strongly enough to make the decision. We just stared at the rain and hoped it would let up.

Then Jake came up with a solution. He would count down on his watch, and when he reached zero, I would start walking. Neither or us cared much. So when he got down to zero, I started leading us toward the lake, and eventually, the rain started to let up.

The pathway that led us to the lake was covered with worms. They were long worms, and they were scattered in every direction like someone had just dropped them from the sky. Jake said they had come out of the ground because the ground was too saturated, and if they stayed down there they would die. So they came up onto the land, scared out of their homes, to wait until the dirt dried and their homes were hospitable again. They seemed just lost out on the path where they didn�t belong, at the mercy of whoever decided to come by and squish them. I tried to pick one up, but I felt its muscles contract between my fingers and I let it go.

We went on to the lake and along the rock path that followed it until we came up to a cute young girl who had wandered from her group, apparently to greet us. They were teenagers out for an adventure at the lake, making wild sounds and throwing rocks into the water. This girl looked about 15, but she told us she was 20 � she just looked young. She told us she lived with her parents in Rogers Park, she was a secretary downtown, and her name was Monique. Jake told her that he, too, lived with his parents, but he was getting away from there. She looked like she wanted to get away, too.

Another blond-haired boy from their group came over to see what we were doing, and we walked with them to their friends. But when we reached their group, we decided it was time to go home. It would have been strange to stand around with a bunch of teenagers, even for a few minutes. So I waved to them and shouted goodbye, they gave us a strange look, and we started walking back to my apartment.

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