Historically, struggling nations looked for ways to shift the blame. It was easier to say the economy was broken because of a certain scapegoated group rather than admitting there were issues in the way the government functioned. Hitler had been purporting the narrative for years that Jews were the cause of Germany’s former financial problems and in a similar vein, America was lashing back at the liberal values of the twenties, claiming it was indecency that harkened the crash. It was transparent, but it was effective, the same upper crust dames who had danced the night away at The Gallery on State in years prior now dubbing homosexual activity as disgraceful. Hypocrites.

I thought I would be relieved when Cal finally saw the writing on the wall, but his awakening proved to be more disheartening than I could have imagined. Maybe I hadn’t considered he would ever come out of his trance of positivity, so the fact that he had was jarring. No matter how frustrating I found his optimism at times, Cal had balanced me, stopped me from spiraling into the pit of darkness I so often found myself residing in. Lucky for me, though Cal had come to realize things in Chicago weren’t as good for us as he’d once believed, he hadn’t gone down the perpetual path of pessimism I often traveled.

“It’s all reactionary,” he’d assured me as he waved his hand in the air. “When things begin to improve for the country, they’ll get better for us too.”

“And until then?” I challenged.

“That’s the more interesting discussion,” he replied with a smile.

It wasn’t long before he proposed the move to San Francisco, explaining how the lifestyle there was similar to how Towertown had been in its heyday. Cal spoke of the city like it was a Mecca for marjories, a promised land for pansies where the streets were paved with sequins and it never snowed. I had thought he was joking about leaving Chicago until I realized he wasn’t at all.

It shouldn’t have surprised me that Cal was ready to abandon his life in Illinois to head west. He’d moved from Douglas to New Orleans, from André to Abraham and eventually, he’d move on from me. Some people ranted and raved about their problems while doing nothing to assuage them, but Cal wasn’t idle. Untethered by convention, he followed a path he believed would lead to happiness rather than remaining on the paved roads of pragmatism.