one minute i held the key
next the walls were closed on me
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It was a Tuesday night, so, naturally, Andy was bored. Twirling a cigarette in his hand, he walked mindlessly down the sidewalk in search or something to do. There were nightclubs open and such if you were into that thing, but he wasn't, at least not tonight. Andrew Lockhart was in more of a quiet mood. He could stand on the street corner and smoke this cigarette, but not only would that be creepy, he also didn't have a lighter. He could go "window shopping," but keeping in mind what that might lead to he refrained. You see, this man was a bit of Kleptomaniac, meaning he stole things...a lot. It was something he had been doing for years by now, and despite how wrong he knew it was he just couldn't stop. There was something about the thrill and the rush that got to him, he enjoyed it so much. Still the man tried to keep himself away from the urge, even if he knew it wouldn't last very long.

Seeing a woman passing by him lighting her own cigarette, Andy stop and put a sweet smile on his face. "Excuse me, do you mind?" The woman easily accepted his request and lit his cig for him, which he kindly thanked her for and continued on his way. Bringing it to his lips as he strode, the man silently inhaled and moved it away, then exhaled and watched the stream of smoke dissipate into the air. This was another habit he was trying to quit, smoking, because he knew that if he didn't he would die from it eventually. But, come on, one more wouldn't hurt, right? Maybe it would, but it was too late now, so he took another puff of it before he lifted his gaze from the cement to look around again. Still it didn't look like there was anything but stores and other things that didn't catch his attention, except for one place.

Andy stopped in his tracks, taking another drag of his cigarette while he eyed the restaurant across the street. The Gale Street Inn. It was quiet, had a good atmosphere, and in that instant he felt his stomach growl. That was good enough for him. The man put out his cigarette and threw it in the trashcan, then checked for oncoming traffic before crossing the street with his hands shoved in his pocket against the cold. December in Chicago always brought on bitter weather, which made him thankful for the heat when he entered the restaurant. Without even looking around Andrew could tell that it was a slow night, because the murmur of people talking that you usually heard on the weekend was absent. Taking off his coat, me made his way up to the seating hostess. "Table for one, please?"

He was seated in the larger of the two rooms, the one with the empty stage and the large windows to watch the world go by. There weren't many others there. There were two couples and a small group of friends, but the room was rather quiet. That was fine with him; in fact it was exactly what he wanted. Andy settled himself down in his seat as the hostess handed him his menu and asked if there were any drinks she could start him out with. "Umm, a soda? Thank you." The hostess nodded and wandered off, leaving him alone with his menu. He opened it in front of him while resting his elbows on the table, looking over large selection of food. Everything looked good, so it was very hard for him to choose. What was he in the mood for? He was leaning more toward a burger and fries. Granted, he could have gone to McDonald's or something for that, but Andy was almost positive that the burgers here would be healthier anyway.

After folding up the menu again, the man leaned back in his chair and let his eyes survey the room. The lighting was dimmed, no doubt to convey a more peaceful mood, the group of friends seemed to be made up of mostly teenage girls who were busy giggling with each other, and the couples were so engulfed in each other that they didn't care about the rest of the room. Good for them, he thought. Love was a great and special feeling. He had felt it once, but that was a long time ago. It had been years since he had seen his ex-wife and even though he still cared for her, the love had faded. She had probably long since moved on from him, maybe even gotten married and had kids. A small part of him hoped that she hadn't, but for the most part he only wished her happiness, even if it did make him feel a little jealous at the thought sometimes.

His waitress finally appeared, bringing him his drink and asking if he was ready to order. Andy asked for his burger and fries, then handed the woman his menu and watched as she walked off and disappeared behind the doors to the kitchen. The man leaned back in his chair again, once more allowing his eyes to wander around the room. This time, they landed on a lone piano just off to the side of the stage. His attention locked on it, suddenly realizing how long it had been since he had gotten to play a piano. Clenching his jaw, Andy glanced toward the opposite side of the room. Seeing no one coming, he looked back again. It was probably a piano that they used on the weekend when the live bands played. It wasn't for guests to play with. Would that stop him? He was still debating.

Looking over to the room's entrance one more time and still not seeing anyone, Andy slowly stood up out of his chair and made his way across the room to the piano. It wasn't a Grand Piano, but it still had that sleek, black look to it. One last time, he looked around the room. Everyone was very intent on their own little groups and paid no mind to him. He sort of doubted anyone would mind if he played, but if they did he would be polite and stop. Smiling a little to himself, Andy sat down on the piano bench and slid over to the middle, then lifted up the cover to reveal the white and black keys. At first, he just looked at them, admiring the instrument and debating what to play, then he just started with the first thing that came to mind. It was Clocks by Coldplay. He started off quietly, and then grew a little louder as his fingers danced over the keys. It had been a while since he had played any music, and the feeling of it brought back a warmth that he loved so much.