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Too Darned Nice.
18 years ago
General
Holy somethingstartingwithSthatreallystinks! I...
I can hardly believe it... I ...
I HAVE...
A CAR!!
I bought the camry I was looking at, and I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT to death ^^ It's so cute! I'm looking forward to making the best of this vehicle, AND to the prospect of not having to walk up and down that GINORMOUS hill to my apartment! Sure, call me lazy, but THAT'S A BIG FREAKING HILL! ASK FENNEC!
fennecwolfox can testify the fact, I live at the top of the damned tower of babel.
I bought it from a sweet elderly couple. They are very kind and patient folks... and I think I somewhat came across as a grandchild in their view. They wanted three grand and some change... and then they gave me 150 off ^^ And they said "But now that we've been nice to you, we expect you to be nice to someone else when the opportunity presents itself."
So... today.. that opportunity arrived.
One of the guys at work, one particularly who goes by the callsign of 'crazy dave' (even though his name ISN'T dave...) asked me to bring him to see his girlfriend in Covington, VA. I'm in Roanoke. Do a mapquest: that's 56 miles and one BIG pain in the ass. But, what can I say, he's good people, so I said "sure. Why not." especially after he cleaned up the aisle that I couldn't finish the night before (sigh... I'm getting worse at my job...)
I mean, there's plenty of reasons why not.
even the BEST case scenario involves me tired and sore from sitting for three hours behind the wheel AND a modicum of sleep deprivation (yay...)
but here's all the other things that immediately came to mind
4)BLAH CASE SCENARIO: I eat up all my time
3)BAD CASE SCENARIO: I get lost
2)WORSE CASE SCENARIO: I break my dear car
1)WORST CASE SCENARIO: I die. Somehow.
but as the couple who sold me my camry said, pay it forward.
PAY, I DID.
So, we're driving. And we're driving. And we're driving. It's almost like reading Lord of the Rings, except the radio will only play twangy bluegrass, christian rock, gospel, or some godforsaken (ironic?) lovechild between them.
AT LEAST, Dave offered to help me pay for gas.
We pulled into a texaco and, by now, I'd used a quarter more of the half-tank I bought the car with, and decided to 'fill-er-up'. I didn't even think twice as the clanky old gas pump ratchetted up the monetary damages... 10 dollars... 20 dollars... 30 dollars...
...dave jumps out of the fuel station's lobby and says "YOU'RE RUINING ME!! ;_;"
Made me crack the hell up...
So, I stopped it at exactly forty bucks and gave him a twenty, and we were off again.
We were cruising on Route 220 north, and confidently pressed forward even when the road seemed doubtful... which, in 20-20 hindsight, was really god damned stupid ^^
You see, we delved into a forest... stopped seeing signs of civilization, or road signs hinting at various routes or destinations. Oh, it was beautiful and extremely scenic. I could smell nature itself and it was mesmerizing, dashing through the drifting leaves (the trees were turning even though it was 70 to 80 degrees, sheesh), watching sunbeams dance across the windshield... but the road lost its dividing line in the center... then the pavement started to become patchy. We were just about where I later found to be half-way when Dave realized that neither of our cell phones had a signal way out there, and started to PANIC! I resolved to keep moving forward...
The road dipped and turned, and swerved and waved, woodland creatures scampered franticly aside as distant campgrounds and a waterfront flashed by through the dense foliage... and as we went on and on, a disturbing thought came to mind...
"What if," i supposed aloud, "This is one of the Cursed Roads... where you drive on... but you NEVER drive off...? You keep going in an unending circle... around and around... for ETERNITY...?"
It didn't help that the road was called "Bear Loop Highway"...
"See? We just passed this point twenty minutes ago!" I teased...
Dave was twitching and showing greater signs of unease, especially when the road went back into dense forest after only a brief reprieve of open, rural fields... And then... we came to a Tee. "GO LEFT," he demanded, and, respecting his decisiveness as my co-pilot, I obliged...
When we finally saw a gas station, our mutual relief was palpable. I was starving, as was he, and I filled up on jerky and Mountain Dew: Game Fuel while we were there. He got directions. At least we were headed where we ought to go, even IF the road overshot us past our destination by TWENTY MILES... We eventually made our way to Route 220 South and began the arduous approach to Covington, FINALLY.
Ten or so minutes would pass... and on either side, the serene, disturbingly fake environment of a golf course would pass behind us. Golf course. Golf course.
Dave: "If I see ONE MORE DAMNED GOLF COURSE, I am going to BURN IT DOWN."
Me: "If only golf courses were renowned for their inflammability..."
We were becoming suspicious as we hadn't seen any navigatioal signs after a while again, though... but sure enough, like magic, the moment I said something about it, we saw one zip by on the right.
"YEAH!"
"YEEAHHH!"
"YYYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"YYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
we spent five minutes barreling down the road having an enthusiastic scream contest. Gods damn we're freaks...
Finally, the journey came to a close... We arrived in covington, and he managed to call his girlfriend from another Texaco gas station while I went to grab a meal at Hardee's. His girlfriend's mom dropped her off from a white pontiac somethingorother sedan, and I must agree, Dave's got a good eye. She was cute, but I knew what was on their minds, and being fifth wheel is kind of awkward. I assent to drive them back to her house after Girlfriend's Mom seemed to have mysteriously vanished. On the way there, though, Dave dropped a bomb on me:
"so... I don't -actually- have a ride back home anymore..."
"...wait, WHAT? --OhohhhhNO. You're not asking me. That wasn't part of the deal, bro. You said 'bring me there! They'll drop me off back in roanoke!' And I said, 'why can't you just take your car?' Didn't I TELL you you should've drove? I know you were iffy about your driving skills and all but SHIT, to get STRANDED? Aw geez.. Look, I can't stay here, I have to work tonight, I have to GO HOME. You expect me to just lay on the couch while you two are in the back doing all the sorts of wonderful shit that ain't NONE of my business!?"
...at least he understood. "I'll walk," he shrugged nonchalantly... Fifty miles...? Walking fifty miles...? Man, I just don't know WHAT to think...
I hope they're having fun right now. I mean, dave IS a friend, but ... It was a lot of trouble getting out there.I hope he doesn't actually TRY to walk. Maybe his parents will come through for him. HE BETTER NOT MAKE ME WORRY >: (
I got home very late... I didn't get to sleep. what a pain. Work is going to not be very fun at all tonight. I don't know what to expect. Shit... Wish I had a normal freaking job...
I can hardly believe it... I ...
I HAVE...
A CAR!!
I bought the camry I was looking at, and I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT to death ^^ It's so cute! I'm looking forward to making the best of this vehicle, AND to the prospect of not having to walk up and down that GINORMOUS hill to my apartment! Sure, call me lazy, but THAT'S A BIG FREAKING HILL! ASK FENNEC!
fennecwolfox can testify the fact, I live at the top of the damned tower of babel. I bought it from a sweet elderly couple. They are very kind and patient folks... and I think I somewhat came across as a grandchild in their view. They wanted three grand and some change... and then they gave me 150 off ^^ And they said "But now that we've been nice to you, we expect you to be nice to someone else when the opportunity presents itself."
So... today.. that opportunity arrived.
One of the guys at work, one particularly who goes by the callsign of 'crazy dave' (even though his name ISN'T dave...) asked me to bring him to see his girlfriend in Covington, VA. I'm in Roanoke. Do a mapquest: that's 56 miles and one BIG pain in the ass. But, what can I say, he's good people, so I said "sure. Why not." especially after he cleaned up the aisle that I couldn't finish the night before (sigh... I'm getting worse at my job...)
I mean, there's plenty of reasons why not.
even the BEST case scenario involves me tired and sore from sitting for three hours behind the wheel AND a modicum of sleep deprivation (yay...)
but here's all the other things that immediately came to mind
4)BLAH CASE SCENARIO: I eat up all my time
3)BAD CASE SCENARIO: I get lost
2)WORSE CASE SCENARIO: I break my dear car
1)WORST CASE SCENARIO: I die. Somehow.
but as the couple who sold me my camry said, pay it forward.
PAY, I DID.
So, we're driving. And we're driving. And we're driving. It's almost like reading Lord of the Rings, except the radio will only play twangy bluegrass, christian rock, gospel, or some godforsaken (ironic?) lovechild between them.
AT LEAST, Dave offered to help me pay for gas.
We pulled into a texaco and, by now, I'd used a quarter more of the half-tank I bought the car with, and decided to 'fill-er-up'. I didn't even think twice as the clanky old gas pump ratchetted up the monetary damages... 10 dollars... 20 dollars... 30 dollars...
...dave jumps out of the fuel station's lobby and says "YOU'RE RUINING ME!! ;_;"
Made me crack the hell up...
So, I stopped it at exactly forty bucks and gave him a twenty, and we were off again.
We were cruising on Route 220 north, and confidently pressed forward even when the road seemed doubtful... which, in 20-20 hindsight, was really god damned stupid ^^
You see, we delved into a forest... stopped seeing signs of civilization, or road signs hinting at various routes or destinations. Oh, it was beautiful and extremely scenic. I could smell nature itself and it was mesmerizing, dashing through the drifting leaves (the trees were turning even though it was 70 to 80 degrees, sheesh), watching sunbeams dance across the windshield... but the road lost its dividing line in the center... then the pavement started to become patchy. We were just about where I later found to be half-way when Dave realized that neither of our cell phones had a signal way out there, and started to PANIC! I resolved to keep moving forward...
The road dipped and turned, and swerved and waved, woodland creatures scampered franticly aside as distant campgrounds and a waterfront flashed by through the dense foliage... and as we went on and on, a disturbing thought came to mind...
"What if," i supposed aloud, "This is one of the Cursed Roads... where you drive on... but you NEVER drive off...? You keep going in an unending circle... around and around... for ETERNITY...?"
It didn't help that the road was called "Bear Loop Highway"...
"See? We just passed this point twenty minutes ago!" I teased...
Dave was twitching and showing greater signs of unease, especially when the road went back into dense forest after only a brief reprieve of open, rural fields... And then... we came to a Tee. "GO LEFT," he demanded, and, respecting his decisiveness as my co-pilot, I obliged...
When we finally saw a gas station, our mutual relief was palpable. I was starving, as was he, and I filled up on jerky and Mountain Dew: Game Fuel while we were there. He got directions. At least we were headed where we ought to go, even IF the road overshot us past our destination by TWENTY MILES... We eventually made our way to Route 220 South and began the arduous approach to Covington, FINALLY.
Ten or so minutes would pass... and on either side, the serene, disturbingly fake environment of a golf course would pass behind us. Golf course. Golf course.
Dave: "If I see ONE MORE DAMNED GOLF COURSE, I am going to BURN IT DOWN."
Me: "If only golf courses were renowned for their inflammability..."
We were becoming suspicious as we hadn't seen any navigatioal signs after a while again, though... but sure enough, like magic, the moment I said something about it, we saw one zip by on the right.
"YEAH!"
"YEEAHHH!"
"YYYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"YYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
we spent five minutes barreling down the road having an enthusiastic scream contest. Gods damn we're freaks...
Finally, the journey came to a close... We arrived in covington, and he managed to call his girlfriend from another Texaco gas station while I went to grab a meal at Hardee's. His girlfriend's mom dropped her off from a white pontiac somethingorother sedan, and I must agree, Dave's got a good eye. She was cute, but I knew what was on their minds, and being fifth wheel is kind of awkward. I assent to drive them back to her house after Girlfriend's Mom seemed to have mysteriously vanished. On the way there, though, Dave dropped a bomb on me:
"so... I don't -actually- have a ride back home anymore..."
"...wait, WHAT? --OhohhhhNO. You're not asking me. That wasn't part of the deal, bro. You said 'bring me there! They'll drop me off back in roanoke!' And I said, 'why can't you just take your car?' Didn't I TELL you you should've drove? I know you were iffy about your driving skills and all but SHIT, to get STRANDED? Aw geez.. Look, I can't stay here, I have to work tonight, I have to GO HOME. You expect me to just lay on the couch while you two are in the back doing all the sorts of wonderful shit that ain't NONE of my business!?"
...at least he understood. "I'll walk," he shrugged nonchalantly... Fifty miles...? Walking fifty miles...? Man, I just don't know WHAT to think...
I hope they're having fun right now. I mean, dave IS a friend, but ... It was a lot of trouble getting out there.I hope he doesn't actually TRY to walk. Maybe his parents will come through for him. HE BETTER NOT MAKE ME WORRY >: (
I got home very late... I didn't get to sleep. what a pain. Work is going to not be very fun at all tonight. I don't know what to expect. Shit... Wish I had a normal freaking job...
