Really random
2002-08-02

I was thinking of this weird day I had once a long time ago. Why it popped into my head this morning, I have no idea. It was a bunch of years ago now, I was maybe 19 or 20. I was working in the submarine factory a hefty hour or so drive from home. Gas was tight in those days so we all drove in car pools. If you needed to leave early for something, you bummed around until you found somebody else leaving early or hitch hiked. I would never consider doing that today, but the times were different then. I had some unusual experiences hitch hiking, and maybe I'll write about them sometime.

This day, there was a problem with my car insurance and I needed to go in and resolve it. I managed to find a ride, my friend Steve's whole car pool was leaving early and they had a spot. The only catch was I had to go to a going away party at the local watering hole first. Ok, no problem there, show me the beer...

The party was for this girl who was leaving, all the guys had the hots for her, but she didn't really do much for me. She was nice enough, but not my type I guess... So, anyway we hit the ginmill around 11:30 and the beer starts flowing. By 2:00 I'm getting concerned and by 3:00 I realize there is no way in hell I'm gonna make this appointment. Oh well, we shoot a lot of pool and somebody starts with rounds of shots. Then the other Steve says we are leaving, so I'm thinking good, I might just make it if I dash as fast as I can go in way too much to drink mode. Opps, wrong again Dick Tracy. We leave, but we are not going home. We end up at this girls appartment. there is lots more music and more drinking and Steve and party girl end up in her bedroom. We would have just left and taken his car, but the keys were in his pants, and his pants were, well who know where. Steve was married, but that didn't seem to bother either of them any. So the rest of us sat around and waited, and waited. I never was a one night stand kind of guy, even though I was single then. Waiting for somebody who was one was a real pain. It's a good thing we had beer. Finally they both come out, kiss good by and we go. It's getting dark. Steve 2 drives right through a stop sign and who is sitting there but a good old officer of the law. Oops, not good. He makes us follow him to the station (which turns out to be VERY close) and literally yanks Steve out of the car and inside the station. They are gone a really long time and we all have to pee, but nobody dares to get out of the car. Not good. Just when I think I'm gong to bust, they both come out. Ths cops have taken his liscence. The cop points to Steve 1, and says you are driving. Well there are two problems, Steve 1 doesn't know how to drive a standard and even more important, Steve 1 is hammered. He opens the door and almost falls on his face. Steve two stumbles in the back and Steve 1 tries to start the car. It took a couple of tries. With the cops admonition to stay out of his town or the next time we were all going to jail, Steve pulls out and calmly goes the wrong way up a one way street as the cop just stands there and shakes his head. We drove at least a mile before we found a place to um go...

We weren't that choosy.

So a tally of the carnage, Steve2 never got his liscence back from the State of Connceticut, he reported it lost and got a new one from Rhode Island. I got home at 11:30 exactly 12 hours afer I left work and ended up taking the next day off to get my business done, and Steve 1 after much grinding and lurching got to learn to drive a standard drunk. All in all a productive day, don't you think? I should have walked.

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