Despite the number of people I had shared a bed with since I was a teenager, I was still a light sleeper, and would jump awake at the slightest touch.  So when the park ranger grabbed my foot, I kicked free of his grasp and half jumped up onto my feet in the back of my truck.  After being told not too politely that I was breaking the park laws by parking on the beach overnight, I remember being glad that at least I slept through the night before getting caught by the stupid ranger.  Of course, now I found myself up early morning, in the middle of a state park, and not a café or diner in sight to supply my morning caffeine shot.  Eventually I found a little diner off the highway.  I pulled myself up to a bar stool.  The waitress took one look at me and immediately placed a steamy cup of coffee in front of me.  I nodded my thanks and was halfway through the cup when she returned to ask if I wanted breakfast.  When I ordered toast, she nodded, topped off the coffee, and went to put the order in. 

After the toast and several cups of coffee, I threw some bills and change on the counter and headed out.  I ended up back in the area of the beach, this time parking my truck on the trail and walking the rest of the way to the water.  When I got to the beach, there was a family there.  The three little kids were running along the water line, screaming and laughing.  The parents were watching, snapping pictures and laughing with the kids.  I watched for a little bit, and was turning to leave when the dad called out to me.  They wanted a family picture taken for their Christmas card that year.  I snapped the picture for them, the perfect family on their vacation, making their Christmas card to send out to the grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends…  After returning the camera, I walked back to my truck.  I flipped open the glove compartment and pulled out a dime bag.  I quickly crushed an oxy pill, snorted it, and put the rest of the bag away in the back of the glove compartment.  After a moment of adjusting to the feeling of the drugs coursing through my blood, I got back out of the truck and started walking down one of the hiking trails.