A dialogue between several chums chumming over a glass of chumwater.

Soli H: Remember when we were all younger and we wanted to grow up so badly that we thought grown ups were lieing to us?

J Archer: No

Kurt B: I remember wanting to be older so much that I'd tried everything to appear older.

Soli: I know I thought I was just a different breed of the human race and that I'd never really grow up to be big and strong like those I admired as a youngster.

Anna O: I thought you made a good Nazi.

We all ignore Anna. She's a little wacked out of her mind and has had a little too much chumwater if you ask us.

Soli: Did we ever imagine that life would be so messed up once we finally got here? I know I didn't.

Kurt: Me neither. I mean as soon as you graduate from high school you're expected to just move to the next level with grace and profenciency.

J Archer: Then we struggle for four or five years balancing school, work, relationships. I mean that is more stress then we've ever had to handle. Then they act suprised when we fail and drop out!

Anna O leaves us to chit-chat with some young pup straight from infancy, that is, high school.

Soli: I remember thinking grown ups had it made 'cause they didn't have to go to school. Boy did I have it backwards.

J Archer: I always envied them, and I still do. Sure they work all day but so do I. Oh woopdeedoo you have car payments, housepayment, utility bills, taxes wah wah wah. So do I!

Kurt: No you don't. You still live with your parents and they pay for your car, your insurance, and...

J Archer: And what? My school? No sir, I pay for that. I get paid crap at my job and all of it goes into my next semester. When I can no longer pay for school I'll start taking loans. Don't think for a second that my parents will pay for that. Neither will the government. Damn the Expected Family Contribution!

Soli: Still, it breaks my heart to think that things could be any worse. I'm not speaking for (and or) of myself here.

Looking back at Anna O who is really laying the flirt down on the post-high school teenybopper

Soli (cont'): I'm just looking back in retrospect of all the people in this world that I know and all the emotional bullshit that we have to put up with and all the emotional bullshit that we push onto one another from day to day as a result of work related stress, taxes, bills, house details, car payments and more.

Kurt: Hear Hear!

Some noise catches our attention at the back of the pub. A lovers spat no doubt. The woman has her shoes off and is beating her boyfriend with the heel as the bouncer escorts them out.

Soli: I can see why people get stressed over somethings but why do so many of us snap at the ones we love the most? Easy targets maybe or is it because they love us that we feel they will be more understanding and not push us away as easily as someone else might?

J Archer: In the end, beyond the stressors of living and the battle to thrive in this demanding and heartless world, I believe that deep down we just want things to be simpler. We don't care about achieving an idealized sense of self. Instead, we just want to get by, from day to day, and to be with the ones we love. We snap on those we care about because it is really the world we wish, but cannot, attack.

Kurt: A projection defense?

J Archer: More of displacement really.

At this point we are joined by Kinsey T and Abedje K. Anna O and her new boyfriend stroll over seconds later. The 'Bobber pulling a chair over and Anna O taking a seat in his lap.

Soli: Welcome to the future one and all. Welcome to our years of suffering and substantial learnings of life that will mold us into who we wanted to be as youngster, may we live to be that strong admirable figure of wisdom in another youngsters life. To think all we need to do is endure pain, loss, grief and love. I'm ready. I hope you are too.

We all raise our chumwater high and toast to the future, regardless of how scary it might be.