I miss

That horribly cold Saturday in Canton
The drive there
The disgusting bathroom graffiti in a small-town gas station
The solitude and grace of the numerous antique stalls
How I felt truly comfortable and not cutesy act-y when stopping to admire costume jewelry and Mamie dolls and framed family portraits of strangers
I knew you'd understand, talk me out of impulse extravagances, but give me time to linger
We walked in squares until we got lost
Hot chocolate
Concerns about a friend--advice--duly ignored
It was so bitterly cold
And then--
A discovery of true junk stalls
The stuff dreams are made of
No more glass cases or Art Deco period pieces
Just good, salt-of-the-earth people with garage sale prices
I flirted with the old man to get you a better price on a chrome dinette set
(How many men in the world appreciate a chrome dinette set with mustard yellow upholstery?)
And Jetsons-style glassware
And wooden silverware
It was one of those Vegas-style hot streaks where everything I picked up was amazing and cheap and looked exactly like him and for that reason it was the most beautiful knife and fork I'd ever seen
I had an intoxicating glimpse of domestic life that for once didn't sicken cynical me
The loading of our prizes in your father's suburban
The joy
The adrenaline rush of the shopper's high
The reward of hot fried corn nuggets in a cozy small-town burger joint complete with local FFA kids' pictures on the wall
(Emory Wilson: black AOB steer named grand champion of the 2010 Palo Pinto County Livestock Association’s Junior Livestock Show)
A quiet drive back
Perfectly content
Perhaps wine and a movie that night
Perfect
It was perfect

And

And

And now it's gone.