As I was driving by the Sonic on the way home from work about nine o'clock tonight, I saw a friend of mine's canary yellow five four Chevy. Found out he had sold it to a high school kid that I know because he waits tables at two different restaurants in town. He rides his bike to work and school and is in the band and tries too hard to be cool. You know exactly who he is, trust me. I can be with my wife or doing business with some suits or whatever and he comes up and talks cars. Never occurs to him it might not be the best time.
Well now he has some hot rod wheels and you can imagine what he was feeling tonight. If you remember what it was like, that first car was the center of your Universe. It could have a dead racoon wrapped up in the fenderwell and look like the surface of moon from when the former owner got jumped by guys with bats wrapped in razor wire. You were too thrilled to see anything other than the glory of it.
So we got to talking and he was just beside himself telling all about it and that he'd paid for it himself and, and, and. It's a nice ride - 350/350/12 bolt and chrome wheels, worn mostly stock interior. I thought it was real cool even before tonight.
Then this guy about my age in his late fifties I see around came up with his buds and pointed out that the car had been around and telling them what he thought was wrong with it as if the kid wasn't there. He (the proud owner) looked like someone was beating him on the asphalt like a rag. I've learned the hard way too many times not to piss people off. Especially big people. The ones with squashed noses and missing teeth and scars from eating beer glasses and eyes that don't look the same direction at once. Unwise. But there are lines and this jerk was way over an important one.
We had words and things got lots more nasty real fast than I had expected, but he finally thought better of it and left. We're both old enough to know better and would have probably had to have a pee break in the middle of it. Made an enemy tonight. Not cool. I was stupid as any of you that have ever been in a street fight knows, but I thought this was worth the risk considering. I think it was because I was a lot like this kid back then and would have wanted someone to stick up for me. There are lessons in this somewhere, but I'm not seeing them yet. Still really pissed (mostly from being scared) and wondering what in the world I was thinking, but glad I'm conscious and not bleeding.
Well now he has some hot rod wheels and you can imagine what he was feeling tonight. If you remember what it was like, that first car was the center of your Universe. It could have a dead racoon wrapped up in the fenderwell and look like the surface of moon from when the former owner got jumped by guys with bats wrapped in razor wire. You were too thrilled to see anything other than the glory of it.
So we got to talking and he was just beside himself telling all about it and that he'd paid for it himself and, and, and. It's a nice ride - 350/350/12 bolt and chrome wheels, worn mostly stock interior. I thought it was real cool even before tonight.
Then this guy about my age in his late fifties I see around came up with his buds and pointed out that the car had been around and telling them what he thought was wrong with it as if the kid wasn't there. He (the proud owner) looked like someone was beating him on the asphalt like a rag. I've learned the hard way too many times not to piss people off. Especially big people. The ones with squashed noses and missing teeth and scars from eating beer glasses and eyes that don't look the same direction at once. Unwise. But there are lines and this jerk was way over an important one.
We had words and things got lots more nasty real fast than I had expected, but he finally thought better of it and left. We're both old enough to know better and would have probably had to have a pee break in the middle of it. Made an enemy tonight. Not cool. I was stupid as any of you that have ever been in a street fight knows, but I thought this was worth the risk considering. I think it was because I was a lot like this kid back then and would have wanted someone to stick up for me. There are lessons in this somewhere, but I'm not seeing them yet. Still really pissed (mostly from being scared) and wondering what in the world I was thinking, but glad I'm conscious and not bleeding.
