What Happens On Congress Street...

"Cut Above"  by Murad Sayen

I just returned from three weeks in Maine. I had never done New England in the fall. Quite lovely. Problem is, I got lazy. I didn't do much, except hang out in the kitchen with Abby in the evening and act silly. We cooked up some good laughs, along with some rather tasty dinners; long on flavor, short on calories. It was her job to keep an eye on her hubby Mu, and me, as we both have fallen short, shall we say, of our weight-loss goals. We asked her for her help. And she did a great job of keeping us in line. Most of the time. Unless we were in Portland.

Our True Confession: It all started when we drove down to Portland late in the afternoon to catch the evening light on Congress Street. Mu was looking for references for paintings. I had never been on Congress Street. It was a real treat. Really. There's more.

We walked the street, stopping for photo opps as they revealed themselves. Interesting exteriors and even more interesting characters that provided moments worth capturing. The light came and went; possibilities appeared, photos were taken.

Then Mu announced that he was feeling peckish. So.....off we went into the nearest gas station convenience store. He was looking for Ding-Dongs. I was just looking, at that point. That's when everything went horribly awry. I found in a glass, okaaay, plastic case, a large brownie with a nutty, caramel frosting. Eating it vicariously was not going to do. I don't know who-led-who down the Road to Perdition, but the next thing I do know, we were standing outside the convenience store, just standing there, stuffing ourselves with all things chocolate. We were like a couple of crack addicts who had tried soooo hard to be good for soooo long, but finally, well, cracked. We chased it with chocolate milk.

And now you know the sordid truth. We were led astray, just that once, by the darker forces...

But, the photo opp thing worked out (she said chirpily). One is on his easel now. And I lost three pounds during my visit, despite my sojourn into the land of dietary transgressions.

Now I'm home and on my own, left to my own devices. And I'm jonesing for some chocolate tonight. Thank God the c-store is seven miles away. I would also have to make it past the sentry, my housemate. The Vegan.

I bide my time...