SAM [Julian Hanes] I met Sam for the first time in sixth grade. We sat in a circle on the basketball court while the gym teacher taught us how to play Knockout. With an innocent look, Sam raised his hand. Mr. Tipple, fooled by the middle-schooler’s face, called on him. Sam gripped his crisscrossed legs and rocked with joy. Wearing a rebellious smile, he stated, “I'm going to call you Mr. Nipple!” The class erupted. I laughed with them while Mr. Tipple struggled to calm everyone down. n I met Sam five years later at Sandstone Rehabilitation Center. I stared at, but didn’t listen to, the forever-unstill amphetamine addict, Ren. Her stories never got anywhere, but still she chatted on and on in a way that reminded me of a squirrel. My attention shifted to the stocky kid in the hallway, violently shaking a vending machine. Once I was confident it was him, I bolted out of the room and into the hall, interrupting Ren's ceaseless rant. I was hesitant to go in for a hug, so I didn't. He spoke first, pointing a finger at me. “Wait … Julian?” He laughed an honest laugh. “You fucking bastard!” “What the fuck are you doing here?” Sam laughed again, this time at himself. “I don't know, man, you know." His attention came back to me. “I didn't know you were a fellow sinner.” One of the counselors opened the door to the room, beckoning me to come back. n I met Sam two years later on the twentieth floor of the Sakari Square Apartments. I sat in a kid-sized plastic chair as Sam preached from his spot on the mattress. The smell of our friend Tristan’s cigarette traveled from the balcony into the tiny apartment. “… and that's why the system tries to make you go to college, man. Then you never get a chance to think about the shit they're doing.” As my eyes dilated, Tristan’s paintings morphed into rainbow splatter art on the wall. “I’m telling you; the system is set up against people like us.” I nodded. Tristan walked back into the room to grab another cigarette. From the window, you could see the city: Coors Field, CenturyLink Tower, the endless LIGHT CAN BE BOTH A PARTICLE flow of traffic on the street. I felt like I knew something the people below didn't, AND A WAVElike I was a part of some grand revolution. n PLAINS 58 paradox