BUM

BUM

By Earvin Eugene

Clouded Judgement

           In a room full of smoke were Evan and Mia. They were in Evan’s bedroom. Mia never got high before. Evan prided himself as a connoisseur of bud. The weed was green with bright yellow hairs and had a pungent smell. In New York, it is common to possess sour diesel. They used a small glass bong, which Evan bought from a friend. He got it for a fair price, and it could even store ice for cool smoke. The two colored the device with rainbow hearts as this was their project. With a few inhalations, they laughed at Rick & Morty and BoJack Horseman cartoons. They sanitized the room with Ozium spray as they hid underneath the bed sheets. As the air cleared, Evan said, “This is the best time of my life”. Mia stated, “So, this is what being high is like.” It was a feeling of euphoria, a soothing sense for a good day, and with the good stuff no paranoia. Blood rushes to the brain and results in a clarity of vision.

           On another occasion Evan and Mia tried pot brownies. Their attitude was something from a Cheech and Chong movie. Whatever happens, happens. The chocolate desert tasted delicious with no hint of the plant. Mia questioned how long it would take to kick in. Evan with the experience to have done it with a past girlfriend said, “It should take about forty-five minutes to feel something.” The sensation was a bodily high. They felt sensitive to the world. The material of their clothes and the bed felt tremendously soft. There was bliss in feeling the gradual high. The peak was miraculous. The epitome of relaxed and ecstatic. Mia said, “I don’t do drugs. I set plants on fire and breathe.” That was enough to make both laugh for five minutes. The come down was magnificent, bringing the imaginary and real world together.

           Evan resembled a modern-day Jimi Hendrix, skinny with a miniature afro. Wearing vibrant tie dye hippie sweatshirts. In fact, his favorite quote was “Please pass me the peace weed and take some heed. Throw all that mixed up speed.” His favorite pastime was enjoying a few bong hits, playing soccer with friends, and traveling when he could afford it. He believed toking on a bong was the cleanest way to get high. He rarely drank alcohol except socially at parties. His worst habit was smoking beedis during his tour through the Caribbean. It was cheap and addictive. He felt that marijuana relieved many addictions to other substances. Evan was a straightforward young man who enjoyed the simple things in life. His wildest action was getting a small tattoo on his inner bicep, “It Was Always You” from the Great Gatsby. He helped around the house to support his family when he could and his major task was walking his dog, Buddy, around the neighborhood park or downtown. Evan loved buddy and raised him since he was a puppy. Buddy was a poodle, protective, smart, and loyal. The two were inseparable.

Mia was a look alike of Miley Cyrus. Short blonde hair and blue eyes. She was more experienced than Evan in the tattoo department, having a heart tattoo on her wrist and a flower on her inner thigh. She was clever and partied a lot. She liked film and worked at a café. Mia enjoyed the arts, and even had a hobby of drawing interesting things from serene photos. Evan would take the photos and Mia would draw. It was a match made in heaven.  

Abandonment

           High school had come to an end, and it was time for Evan to have more discipline at least that is what his parents thought. They would antagonize him for being “lazy” and “ungrateful”. Soon, they realized he was smoking marijuana as Evan became sloppy in covering his tracks. The family was constantly at odds. One fight escalated to the point where Evan had to leave the house. He packed his belongings and took the car to his cousins. At first, he was greeting with open arms. His father communicated with his uncle and discussed his disapproval. Regardless, his uncle let him stay for a short period of time. Evan would perform chores like buying groceries, taking out the trash, and help cook whatever he could. Eventually, the family grew tired of his smoking habits. Pressuring him to quit and make something of his life. He was puzzled on how to be better. A lot of his family was conservative when it came to pot. One day, when his uncle was away at work, Evan and his cousin, Josh smoked weed in his treehouse. Josh used to smoke weed away at school and his parents were upset with his choices as well. Josh’s plan was to switch to a more respectable vice, like drinking. He advised Evan to do the same. In the coming days, Josh drank in the evenings as Evan continued to smoke weed. His cousin’s family grew tired of him and kicked him out. Josh was upset, “Stop smoking in my house” and slapped Evan in the face. He threw his stuff on the front lawn and they demanded he returned home to his parents. Josh would become an alcoholic. Perhaps, the plant is better than the drink, who is to say.

           Evan now on his own again took the car to his friend’s house, Rahman. He was older and rented a house with his girlfriend. Evan confided in Rahman of his disdain for his family. Rahman advised him to be patient and things would calm down. He reminded him that Evan’s family cared for him. It was tough love. Evan lit up a joint in the backyard and pondered on how things went astray. He could not pinpoint a solution to his problem. Now, stoned in a better mood, he battled his munchies by raiding through Rahman’s fridge for whatever was not wanted. That night, Evan relaxed on the couch, scrolling through his iPhone but heard what sounded like Rahman making love to his girlfriend. Evan thought of Mia and texted her. She gave him advice to stay optimistic and that they should get place together out west in Colorado. Evan was enamored by the idea, but it seemed to difficult to bring to actualization. Rahman was a great host but soon he too grew tired of Evan “stinking” up the house with weed smoke. Rahman was less forceful but threw shade on Evan every time he saw him. Eventually, Rahman’s girlfriend had a heated argument with him for Evan to leave. It was about that time. Evan told Rahman, “We’ll talk soon” as he grabbed his stuff and left.

           The next stop was to his childhood friend’s house, Ralph. He too was a stoner, so what is the worst that could happen, thought Evan. Evan even bought weed from Ralph from time to time. Both smoked weed until their eyes turned red on most nights. It was splendid. Ralph would work at the local bagel store during the day and they would toke up at night. Mia would visit sometimes have a puff or two and check that Evan was doing okay. She said privately to Evan, “We can make it out there”. He hesitantly kissed her and agreed. It was the dream to smoke and eat great food, while watching the best films from Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and Spike Lee (Blackkklansman) but time was running out. For the first time, Evan felt like he was wasting time at a month’s end. He decided there was no better time than now to leave with Mia.

The Great Escape

Evan met Mia at Ralph’s house. The two had their bags packed. He stared at her, she was like a child to him, and stated “Let’s do this together and not look back”. She showed him a picture of their life together in the future on her phone. It was a solemn drawing of Evan smoking a joint with Mia and a baby in front of a nice house by a picket fence. Evan took a dub bag from Ralph got in his dad’s car that he has been roaming with and left with Mia on their way out West. They believed with a little weed and love you could make it in America.