it caught his eye

                 but things usually did

a huge white pickup truck -- theyre all huge these days – theyre not working trucks – personal vehicles – their drivers back them into parking spaces and make people wait on them while they seesaw back and forth parking the beast because theyre inept

                       anyet this truck this truck sailing past him on the main thoroughfarethe main street of a small burg made him smile smile despite himself despite his severe opinion of people who owned them those white  entitled  males

       Look at my big truck.

                            theres a term for that something regarding inadequate but it eluded him and he wasnt giving chase  no chase none

what caught his eye was the girl sitting beside the driver his arm was around her shoulders she was tucked up against him

             it shot him back to his youth benchseats  being chastised by his parents Soandso saw him driving in town and his girlfriend she she was sitting uptight right against him

Didn’t we tell you? both hands on the wheel? you’re not driving safely and that car isn’t your car, is it?  

                                                                                                             he loved rhetorical questionsloved em he answered anyways No It is not my old palegreen sedan but I pay you my share of insurancethe share you tell me I must I return it with a full tank of gas because I have to despite whenever I ask to borrow it and you allow it or suddenly revoke it its always nearly Empty And  and I understand it is a sore subject but I havent received a ticket have I Which suggests I am driving safely conducting the car safely 

                                                                                                   he didnt bring up the harrassment yup two Rs it ups the ante on being harassed the harrassment was by two particular cops who seemed to lay-in-wait for him because he was a long hair and they were sure when he rolled through the forest preserve that he was buying drugs 

they wanted him to unlock the glovebox

                                          Ya got a warrant I will

they wanted him to unlock the trunk

                                      Ya got a warrant I will 

You think you’re smart, punk? 

                                 he could elaborate he didnt   No sir 

so they spied what they could and always always  tore the backseat bench out and hurled it into the forests edge the weeds foxtails  usually standing water

Have a nice day, punk. 

                        and they drove off leaving him on the gravel on the side of the road the four doors wide open  the bench in the ditch 

two Rs

 

both hands on the wheel  

                          but then nothing was finer in the world than going down the road free his girl leaning into him smelling good her hair smelling good her hand on his thigh  really warm where she touched him free  in love   not a care in the world 

                         the care comes when you grow older 

                                                                 it comes earlier if youre disenfranchised which he knew then but he was born into different circumstances 

a bench frontseat 

a bench backseat 

                   If you he thought havent made love in the backseat  yaint lived

0849,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  3  3. 21

1139,  Thursday,  4  3. 21