Whuzzat?
So my doorbell rings at 1:30am last night and I'm in that particular state of being woken up that even as I go to the door my brain is wondering if the sound hadn't been a particularly vivid dream "cat scare." Because, hey, my brain has seen the same crappy horror movies I have. So I'm really not even expecting anyone to be there, but there is: a high-school kid wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt. Having been conditioned by a sometimes unfortunate popular culture, I hazily check for a gun, suspicious bulge, crazy eyes, but it's just some kid. I'm tired enough that if I'd seen a gun, I don't think I would have cared too much, anyway. I ask him what's up.
And I swear, this is what he says, "Can I get a ride somewhere? My car broke down."
He seemed as puzzled by my refusal as I was by his request. He didn't seem disabled/slow in any way--any more than a lot of high school students do to me, anyway. I would have let him use my phone if he'd asked or if I'd thought of it. I couldn't go back to sleep for another hour. I'll spare you the inner dialogue/invective that prevented it.
Modern surrealism isn't even half as interesting as the old surrealism, and manages to be twice as irritating, yet it still manages to confuse.
And I swear, this is what he says, "Can I get a ride somewhere? My car broke down."
He seemed as puzzled by my refusal as I was by his request. He didn't seem disabled/slow in any way--any more than a lot of high school students do to me, anyway. I would have let him use my phone if he'd asked or if I'd thought of it. I couldn't go back to sleep for another hour. I'll spare you the inner dialogue/invective that prevented it.
Modern surrealism isn't even half as interesting as the old surrealism, and manages to be twice as irritating, yet it still manages to confuse.
posted by Greg at 6:08 AM
2 Comments:
About, um, ten years ago I was up reading at around 1 am when I heard someone knocking at the back door. I woke up Mrreall to get it (in the best of all possible worlds everyone of us should have both a husband and a wife-the sex of the spouse is not as important as what tasks they are willing to perform). It was a guy who lived in the apartment building across from ours, he was sort of drunk, had locked himself out and had no money, so he needed $20 for a cab. And he promised he would pay us back in the next day or so.
Reader-we gave it to him, and never saw him again. It is probably the $20 I am proudest of losing.
I remember back when I was in high school - I was out wandering in front of my house in the middle of the night, whenthis guy pulls up and tells mne that he needs to bail his nephew out of jail, and could I spare any money?
Luckily, being a high schooler, I had no money.
To this day I wonder if he was on the level, and just driving around at 2 am asking everyone for money to bail his nephew out of jail.
What a loser
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