Bye Bye Fair City

After woffin down a delicious veggie burrito from Garcias in pretty much a nano-second, Tood (aka Hoover and his Burber name) hopped into the stuffed car, chekced for the automatic garage door opener, and rolled down Washtenaw as an inhabitant of it for the last time. Beans and Bagles and Nelson Strange all a vision as we rolled on past.
Arriving in Brookie, Todd had little reaction except for the fresher air and multitude of Forest Preserves to dream about that night.
As Dave blasted on the stereo and I drove with the city as my horizon out through the Loop, the tears flowed generously.
Chi-town is just a name yet it had been good to us. Our shaping of adulthood occurred throughout locations all over town. The Gold Coast brought us doormen and women, fancy pants, and spaghetti noodles for dinner. Two cats following a pied piper as the 90210 theme song blared out of Noah's violin.
Chi-town brought our close friends together were we lived it up in Bucktown, having the Virg over, gardening, and dreaming of spiral staircases. It brought us our engagement and forthcoming whisperings fantasizing about life to come.
Chi-town brought us strings and strings of doctors, health challenges, and new medications.
It brought us the Foos, the Means, and the Smashing Pumpkins.
It brought us Anthony, leader of the block and head of the Latin Kings- piarrhea of the mouth and all.

Chi-town brought us old friends from around the block, bike rides, and growth in adulthood.  It brought us a place to grieve and a place to celebrate.  It brought us drunken evenings on NYCs and a neighborhood that felt like ours.
Of course it wasnt the town, it was the real concept of home- Noah, family, and friends that made it special.
Yet as the tears flowed, I wondered would Brookie-Wookie inspire as Chi0Town had year after year after year.  Would it bring that excitement which so nicely complimented us, our families, and our friends.  I kept thinking, "Why?"  just like everyone kept asking.