I Don’t Love Columbus Because I Can’t Participate In It

“I love Columbus!”

My passenger, whom I had picked up from East 4th and High, exclaimed.

We went into a conversation. I learned he had finished undergrad at Ohio University only a few months prior. From our conversation, he extolled about how the “city is growing” and there’s so much opportunity. He said that he tells his friends, family, and other frat brothers all the time about how much there is to do here. He tells me how nice it is to live in a city so cheap. “It’s like a budget Boston, or a little Chicago!”

I drop him off somewhere in Grandview Yard. Five stars. He’s a little excited, maybe a bit drunk. Whatever, I don’t care.

It’s 8 PM, on a Friday. I know that if I need to use the bathroom, I’d better find a spot soon — most places with clean restrooms are going to be closing soon. After that, I knew I’d be in for a fifteen-mile drive home to use the bathroom. I had been driving since 3:30 PM, and I knew I was likely going to be out until 3 AM.

I click “go offline” on the apps, as I pull into the Starbucks on the corner of Dublin Road and Grandview avenue.