and Words
Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue
Thought I heard you talking softly
I turned on the lights, the TV, and the radio
Still I can’t escape the ghost of you
What has happened to it all?
Crazy, some’d say
Where is the life that I recognise? (Gone away)
But I won’t cry for yesterday, there’s an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way to the ordinary world
I will learn to survive
Lyric excerpts from Musixmatch.
On an ordinary day in the mid-1990’s, a number of us shuffle down to the local Chili’s for a meal. We, a collection of friends and colleagues from Microsoft, take a break from work and drive the short distance down the street to that restaurant. We conduct this ritual with alarming regularly, nearly becoming our default place for meals. I ordered my favorite food item from the menu (the Chicken Crispers), and we sit and chat.
Today, we change our routine and elect to walk around the plaza for a bit before returning to work. Crossroads sits but a few minutes away. It distinctively hosts a used bookstore, food court, and collection of tables. Ever the music enthusiast, I wander into the music store immediately next to the Chili’s, by the name of Silver Platters. This particular location is considerably smaller than their other locations. As I browse the collection of CD’s neatly laid out in row after row. And then this song comes on over the speakers.
“Who is this?!”, I exclaimed.