District of St. Louis, Missouri, wasn't my idea of a sane time Saturday night on my last trip across the country. Here I was dealing with a funky navigation app, which basically means my navigation is me watching a blue dot move bleepingly across the screen of a yellow map on grey lines. I am bound to misunderstand a route or two. This one put me heading north in the heart of St. Louis, and as I was yelling "WTFWTFWTF!" I took the first exit into the heart of that shithole.
Where the buildings are blank, and crumbling, the roads are shit, there isn't a sane looking person in sight, and I'd imagined someone was about to run out at gunpoint and try to take my CB radio, which I would fight for dear life to save of course. I was just short of running all stop signs and red lights, and using the excuse: "Well, officer, let me tell you what happened once. Ya see, I once was in this really rough part of town with a bunch of grassroots canvassers, and this Po-lice officer spotted us in our mini van with no tinted windows, all doughy eyed, and ready to go knocking door to door...in this really rough neighborhood. But before we could get that far, he stopped us in our tracks, and said to get back in our minivan, and head right out of town. He said do not stop at stop signs and do not stop at reds, and if anyone approaches the car, just drive away. He said, that, he did. I was having flashbacks."
True story. We survived Richmond. We did just as he said, and rolled all those stops. Shit, sometimes you end up in areas, that all you are is happy to see a cop. "Hey officer, can you please just give me a chase car to the highway? Would really appreciate it." Bahahaha
I drove far enough away from that city before I found a nice rest area to curl up in the back of my truck. Actually, I think I slept pretty on my guard that night. You ever have those nights where as soon as you get to falling asleep, you hear a noise, and you jump right up and look out all your windows, sleeping with your hands on all your knives and 911 is ready to dial on your phone. Haaaaahaha. I wish I'd had a short lil shot gun on me that night, something that would just spray an hit. Man, things to never leave home without.
Outside of that, the trip went fine, until I realized I'd reached that part in the drive where I just didn't want to drive any further. I laid extra long under my sleeping bag that morning, rain shuffling down all around the truck. The Eastern gloom. I'd hit it. I just wanted to sleep forever that morning. But I had to make miles and time, and I know I won't be here long, so I just plodded on down the road. Made it to Brooklyn around midnight Sunday. Yeah, it's raining here, but it's warm, and that's nothing to shake a finger at. My cat is within arms reach, curled up and cozy. He was really happy to see that I had come back. That I didn't abandon him. He'll get used to this, but I'm sure it's never easy.
Signing off. 10-4 good buddy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment