Well, some nights are just plain weird, aren’t they?
I was just trying to get the darn bins out to the curb. It’s Thursday, trash day tomorrow, you know how it is. Supposed to be a quiet night, maybe catch up on that show everyone’s yapping about. But no, this street always has something cookin’, especially after dark when you think everyone’s tucked in.
So, I’m wheeling these bins, one green, one blue, making a bit of a racket on the pavement, I guess. And I look up, down towards the end of the block, near that old oak tree where the kids sometimes hang out. There’s this car parked there, one I ain’t seen before. Looked like an older model, kinda boxy. Windows were all steamed up. Real steamed up. Took me a second, you know, brain’s not always the quickest on these late-night chores.
I just sort of stopped there with the bins. Didn’t hear nothing at first, then a bit of a… well, a rhythmic squeak from the car’s suspension. Oh. Right. Gotcha. Didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out. I just slowly backed up with my bins, real quiet-like, and scurried back inside. Didn’t want to be that guy, shining a flashlight or making a scene. Live and let live, mostly.
But you know, it got me thinking. Not about that, per se. More about how folks find ways, you know? Reminded me of my old buddy Dave from my first job, stacking boxes down at the warehouse. He was always sneaking off with his then-girlfriend, trying to find a bit of privacy. He once told me they got caught by his girl’s old man in the back of his dad’s pickup. Man, the stories he had. That warehouse job, talk about a grind. Up at five, home at seven, smelling like cardboard and sweat. Paid the bills, barely. Quit that after I threw my back out lifting a pallet of god-knows-what. Doctor said, “You ain’t 20 anymore, pal.” No kidding, doc.
Anyway, after that little curbside discovery, I couldn’t get back to my show. Mind was just wandering. Thinking about Dave, thinking about how that old oak tree has seen a lot more than I have, probably. Made me feel kinda old, but also, kinda like, “Yep, world keeps turning.” People gonna do what people gonna do. I just went and made myself a strong cup of tea and decided to read a book instead. Less surprising, usually. Still, made for a bit of a story to tell myself, if nothing else. This neighborhood, I swear, never a dull moment if you’re paying attention.
