A Duck Triangle...

...And Other Tales From a Long Lunch Walk

Mist upon my face refreshed me as I strolled away from my office, umbrella in hand just in case. It's not a great umbrella, nor one I planned on. About five years ago while shopping during my lunch break at my old job, I walked out of a dollar store to find a monsoon in the parking lot. I decided a dollar would be a small price to pay to make it to my car without getting drenched, and that little black umbrella has lasted far longer than I expected it would. Oh, one of the spokes did break so one side hangs limp when it's open, but I don't use it that often. It does what it needs to in a pinch.

Thankfully, despite a sky more white than gray, and the occasionally fine droplets in the air, there was no downpour on Friday afternoon. After a week of healthy lunches, I was tempted to break my Taco Bell embargo as it was one of the closer places to eat that I hadn't visited earlier in the week. My legs had more sense than my brain though, and I kept walking right past the shopping center that housed it, a Burger King, a Chinese take-out joint, a deli I'd eaten at the day before, and a pizzeria. Pizza or Chinese would have been fine choices. But I didn't have a big enough appetite for the generous-sized Chinese lunch specials, and I felt like walking a little further, to another pizza place nearly two miles away.

Soon I was away from town, on my favorite back road short cut that runs past a river and a stream that runs in front of people's houses and beneath their driveways and bridge walkways. I heard a commotion up above, and raised my eyes to see a trio of ducks descend below the sidewalk to the stream, out of sight.

As I caught up to where they landed, I heard a great commotion. I looked down to see two males bickering, biting at each other's necks. The third duck, a female, swam cautiously a few feet away. One of the males broke free and tried to mount the female, while the other charged in sideways and knocked him aside, clearly calling dibs and saying “I saw her first!” I marveled at the superficial parallel to a movie I'd watched the night before. Then in a brief moment of melancholy, I pondered how ducks could lead a more interesting social life than I do.

At the top of the hill, back in a more urban area, I was soon enjoying an iced tea and a couple of slices of pizza. A few tables over, I overheard a couple of attractive young ladies discussing how one had lost her job, but was optimistic and already had a few offers and possibilities. I also thought I heard her mention getting a house once a divorce or separation was final, but I wasn't paying enough attention to pick up whether she was referring to herself or another friend. I managed to steal a few glances to see that one was a brunette while the other a tall blonde. As they walked by after emptying their trays in the waste bin behind my small table, the tall blonde bumped into me and excused herself. “Mgnnghkay...” I said with a mouth full of Sicilian. Oh, yeah. I got game, son. Big ducks ain't got nothing on me.

I thought about life as I exited the establishment, about nature and the instincts all living things possess. I thought about levels of reality, and how I felt like a different person walking outdoors than sitting in a little car or hunched over a computer keyboard. Lost in thought, I nearly got slapped in the face by a couple of deaf guys having an animated conversation on the corner. I don't know sign language, but it would have been pretty funny if the one friend was telling the other about a tall blonde, and how he couldn't think of anything clever to say to her.

Back at the stream, the female duck rested on a rock while one male swam around contentedly, clearly the victor in the earlier battle for her affections. Heading back down the hill, I decided to walk through the park with the stream and pond rather than along the sidewalk outside it. I was further removed from society as millions of squirrels frolicked and darted past, and geese eyed me warily from the side of the stream. I whistled Grieg's “Morning” and was ridiculously at peace. The trail sadly was not infinite, and soon I was back in civilization. My mind returned to work, and I became conscious of time once more. A friend spotted me on the road back to our office and offered me a lift. Ten more minutes outside would have been nice, but it was ten minutes I didn't really have so I accepted the ride. Soon I was back at my desk finishing up the last few assignments for the week. And by the time I turned off the light in my office and left for the weekend, I had all my ducks in a row.