Didn't think you would ever see a subject heading like that did you??
Well, the following is a true story DO NOT assume that I am
making any value judgements.
Irene and I have some friends that live in a rough part of Oakland.
There are rough parts of Oakland and then there are ROUGH parts. These
people are funky artist types i.e. poor, and they live in a converted wharehouse
in the ROUGH part of town. Anyway, Irene and her friends are praticing their
fire dancing and I am getting pretty bored. One of the other bored boyfriends
wants to go for smokes so I offer to drive him. We go to the only conveince
store in the area.. A place he calls the mini-crack mart. We pull up outside
the
place and it looks like a set from a BAD Urban Gangsta movie. The side walk in
front is full of ruined looking people drinking from brown paper bags and
eyeing me VERY suspiciously....I used to live
in a pretty tough neighborhood in SF, the Tenderloin, but this was WAY beyond
that.. And here I am in my nice shiney roadster...My friend hops out and tells
me not to leave the car for a second..duh.. As my friend enters the store the
nearest person saunters over to me to try to bum a smoke. It seems that he
had been sniffing crack all day and his nose was burning and he wanted to put
it in a ciggarette to give his nose a break..I am not making this up. Well, I
don't smoke so I tell him sorry. Getting a little bit nervous. He takes a step
back and says 'Nice Car!'.
I say thanks.
'2000 Datsun Roadster?'
'Yes it sure is'
'69??'
'Yes??'
I'm thinking, how in the hell could he know that??
Now a couple more people have come over and started checking out
the car.. I have to admit that I am getting a little bit more nervous....
He then starts telling me about some really nice silver restored 67
he has seen with nice spoked wheels.(panasports?)
Before I can ask him anything else all the assembled people warn me to
hurry up and go around the block cause the sherrif was coming and they like to
hassle white guys parked at corners in fancy cars.
I swung around the block and my friend was waiting for me, he hopped in
the
car and we took off and I waved at the people who had been admiring my car and
they even waved back...
The event was jsut very surreal...Well, I guess you do meet the nicest
people
in a roadster????
Daniel 69 2000
SF CA
|