Reflections Sam walked into the restaurant and was quickly hit with a rush of cold air from the lobby. It was an extremely refreshing change from the hot, humid weather tormenting those not fortunate enough to have the luxury of air conditioning. He grinned to himself thinking about how he'd be praying for weather like this during the winter. As much as he hated the unbearable heat, the cold was even worse for him.
He walked passed the Host's station and headed straight for the smoking section.
When he came in I immediately looked up and made eye contact from my corner booth. I hate making eye contact with anyone. There's a certain amount of discomfort and fear that they saw something that you didn't want them to see. He took a seat across from me and immediately lit up a cigarette. He never had money for anything else. And his parents were only willing to pay for the cheapest brand.

"So what's up?" he asked after taking his first drag.
"Not much." I pulled out a clove and lit it. "Just fucking shit up as usual."
"So in other words just another day."
"Exactly."
The waiter came and got us both Coke's and no check as has been the custom for us regulars or "Regulators" as we preferred to be called. We requested this as more of a joke than anything else. It just ended up sticking.

"So, Sammy Boy, can I ask you a bit of a personal question?" I asked after a minute of contemplating whether or not I really wanted to get into this conversation.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Have you ever been in love?"
Sam took a drag off his cigarette reflectively before answering.
" You know, I can't really say that I have. I've had sex which usually indicates love but I don't think I've ever really been in love per se. I have really cared about girls before. I'd even dare say that I've loved a girl before. I just can't say with any amount of certainty that I've been in love. Why do you ask?"

Before answering I put out my clove and took a drink from my Coke.

"I was just wondering. I know I've been in love. I used to wonder if I was but now I know I was. I just think about that and wonder how many people really can say they've been in love. I've come to realize most people haven't. For once, I'm in the serious minority. Even the girl I loved didn't love me back."
"Well, a lot of people don't even believe in love, or at least true love."
"I guess that's where I'm different."
"So should I assume you do believe in true love?"
"Yes, very much so."
"Well, why? After all you've been through, why believe?"
"I don't have much else to believe in."


Chapter 2