Chapter Fifteen
Bountiful life, letting anyone attend, making no distinction between left or right, feeding everyone, refusing no one, has not provided this bounty to show how much it owns, has not fed and clad its guests with any thought of claim; and because it lacks the twist of mind or body in what it has done, the guile of head or hands, is not always respected by a guest. Others appreciate welcome from the perfect host who, barely appearing to exist, exists the most. – Lao Tzu
The dance club music pounded in Dave’s ears and vibrated in his chest. Cigarette smoke swirled into his nostrils, churning his stomach, but he didn’t get up from his seat at the bar. To get up and leave meant to go back to his father’s house.
A beer sat on the bar in front of him. He hadn’t had a drink in fo
