We walk out of the bar together, Sutaih and I. Into a bright of day, honking horns and a blue sky that you only see in the Rockies. Which is exactly where we aren't. "I'm trying to find the City Gates," I say to him as he shakes my hand good-bye.
"So you want to get out," he states rather than questions, letting go with a last firm squeeze.
We are walking down the boulevard towards where the sun came up. The sun is now high and peering down from between the skyscraper fingers. My running shoes make no sound, while his cowboy boots click down the sidewalk like a slow train.
"There's no wall around this City you know. I would guess the need for gates ended long ago; perhaps they've been declared landmark status, or had a musuem built around them or something like that." He buys a Coke from a street vendor, and a hot dog. Mouth full he motions to me and points to an alley. "Try down there."
"The sign says Dead End, how is that supposed to help?" I ask.
"The way that seems to be no-way is often the quickest way," he states airily as if delivering a lecture, all while chewing with his mouth open. A slurp of Coke follows.
"Really," he laughs almost choking on his hot dog, tears in his eyes.
"I should have been a zen master."
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