Lollipop, Lollipop, oh Lolli-Lolli-Lolli !!
Hips switch their hitch with an amateur ball change: our girl sways side to side in her impromptu dance even those early birds can’t seem to make sense of. A couple nosy pigeons pecked at the remnants of night life’s spoils, and Caroline moved to tippy-toes in attempts not to disturb them, instead of putting on those kitten heels dangling from her fingertips...
But hey: the sky looks pretty as a picture, even before she slips on those rose-colored sunglasses she’d had propped up atop her curls. All bright purples and flames of fire-orange announcing the comin’ of the sun... She’s dressed more for the hazy nightlife she’d come clamoring from, obviously: but at least most wouldn’t notice her questionable fashion choices since that nightie was tucked away beneath her garish fuzzied coat... not too many anyones wandering around this early, anyway.
Lollipop, Lollipop, oh! Lolli-Lolli-Lolli !!
Helios came along to give Las Vegas that golden shimmer, that morning glow-- and Caroline flinched back in retaliation from the reflection off the tall buildings: IT’S TOO EARLY FOR EVERYTHING TO BE SO BRIGHT, AND THERE’S TOO MUCH TRUTH IN THE LIGHT! Suddenly she’s so very conscious: of the last few blocks needing overcome before she’s back at her shitty studio, of the fact the pink polish on her toes is chipped all to hell, of those vague memories fading back in now that she’s almost reached that damned level of SOBRIETY that had evaded her since the evening before...
She needs a cigarette. Does she have a cigarette?
To perform a proper search, once her venture was stopped by the flashing hand at a crosswalk, Caroline did finally drop her heels-- even put them on, which was all the poor bartender last night ever wanted from her, not that it stopped him from servicing her at all-- and went to digging through her teeny clutch on a SMOKEY SCAVENGER HUNT!
Lollipop, Lollipop, oh, Lolli-Lolli-Lolli-- LOLLIPOP !!
By the time she finally makes it past candy sticks and roller balls of essential oils, that lady on the corner swears by them! but Caroline really just likes the way they smell, and traps that rogue cigarette between fingertips... she’s no longer alone at the cross walk. Oh no, now there’s a pram strolled up right alongside her, a wide-eyed infant cooing and sighing, and an obviously tired woman in yoga pants who looks like she may just fall right over if the wind blew too hard...
Looks like she’s not the only early bird.
Perhaps her conscience hadn’t saved her from counting at the Blackjack table last night.
Hadn’t chirped on in when she’d lost most of those winnings at the slots afterwards.
Didn’t even bother pulling at her heart strings when she’d taken that pill some fellow offered...
But the cherub on her shoulder came along as a blue-eyed baby who’d probably been giving it’s mother more Hell than Caroline’s given her guardian angel lately... so she opts for a Valentine’s Day Clearance lollipop instead of that solo cigarette... even pulls out a second in offering, for the Mama who would probably prefer coffee...
The woman didn’t question a thing: not much to question around these parts, really: but accepted the candy with a whispered “thank you” before strolling right on across the street all zombie-like as new parents do. Contented by her good deed for the morning-- Caroline will take any good karma she can get-- she traipsed her way right across, taking up that hitch and switch for the final stretch of her journey, slightly in tune with the click, clack, click of those heels against cement... already dreaming of the bed waiting for her back at her pitiful apartment...