Warcraft, Recovering

He identifies himself to his friends, by saying, first his name and then, that he admits he is an addict. He does this without mention of the substance or the form of addiction. He then states he has been clean for 35 days.

The room is dark and the chairs are arranged in a circle. The people in the meeting hall, at a local church - hear this missive and applaud him. He goes up to get a cup of coffee and sits back down.

In the bookstore, he is buying Dan Simmons 'Fall of Hyperion'. He overhears a conversation between a slightly overweight and pleasantly attractive storekeeper and her sales colleague, but only in brief fragments as he comes up to the counter. They speak to each other in conspiratorial, hushed tones. He recognizes a word.

"Did you say.. Blade's Edge".. he asks her colleague. The sales attendant nods his head dismissively. You're not part of the warcraft club he seems to say. "She's talking about Warcraft." ... Yes ... I respond. A level 80 Priest, and a Mage only just sold. I smile as he continues in a self assured tone .. "She only has level 70's , she just got Wrath of the Lich King. "... I tell him quietly that I've been clean for a month now. That I sold my characters. Nice amount of cash there.

He flashes a quick look and says that the new raid that was recently patched in , is really alot of fun.

He looks over at the woman standing next to him behind the counter. She is only just a plus size. In his mind he wonders why people think you need to be so thin, to be so attractive. He flashes a wicked grin at the young man who had seemed so content to confide in him that he spends 20 hours a week playing a game... and then he says quietly.. that yes.. he had alot of fun as well but its more fun spending friday night having kinky sex.

He casually directs his eyes over to the girl and then back to the sales attendant. The sales attendant hands him the book. He's not sure the message has been delivered. He passes by the girl, and she looks clean and soft and fun.

As he walks out into the cool southern night, he looks up at the sky. He muses to himself that he never seem to see any stars. Jupiter beams down at him from the plane of the ecliptic as he pulls out of the parking lot, heading towards home.