The Future is Still Coming!
I pulled up at the gas pump at a rest area between Rochester and Syracuse. I was pumping my gas when a man pulled up at the pump across the way. I'm not sure why, but I pegged him at about ten years older than me. He was nearly bald and what wasn't missing was grey. He had a bit of a paunch too, and he looked road-weary.
His wife exited the passenger side of the car and offered to wash the windows while he pumped the gas. I knew it was his wife because they were speaking of their three boys and how they wished they lived a little closer.
"What're you bitching about?" he asked. "I've driven every mile."
"Cause you think I drive too slow," she said.
I sort of chuckled because I definitely have had the same conversation with my wife.
She dunked the squeegee in the water and leaned across the hood of the car to clean the windshield. The man whistled at her and said, "I have a good view from here."
His eyes were trained on her backside. She flung the water from the squeegee in his direction and laughed. "After all these years," she said.
As she cleaned the windshield, he pumped the gas, and they got back to the conversation about their children. He said something about his daughter-in-law being a pain in the ass and they both laughed.
I thought of Kathy and I making such a trip and the hopefully still playful banter going back and forth. I thought of a lot of couples who don't make it through to the end, and I found myself admiring the man and woman - total strangers - keeping it real.
He put the gas pump back and noticed me for the first time. He nodded and I returned the gesture. I wonder if he was wondering about how much I'd heard. I pretended to look away.
He returned to the front of the car and examined his wife's work.
"You smeared the dirt all over," he said.
"You do it!" she responded. She dropped the squeegee and he caught it before it hit the ground.
"I'm driving," she announced.
"We'll never get there!" he said.
As she ducked by him, he pinched her ass, and she slapped at him.
Too cool. Too scary to see the similarities.
The future is coming and that much of it looks like fun.
His wife exited the passenger side of the car and offered to wash the windows while he pumped the gas. I knew it was his wife because they were speaking of their three boys and how they wished they lived a little closer.
"What're you bitching about?" he asked. "I've driven every mile."
"Cause you think I drive too slow," she said.
I sort of chuckled because I definitely have had the same conversation with my wife.
She dunked the squeegee in the water and leaned across the hood of the car to clean the windshield. The man whistled at her and said, "I have a good view from here."
His eyes were trained on her backside. She flung the water from the squeegee in his direction and laughed. "After all these years," she said.
As she cleaned the windshield, he pumped the gas, and they got back to the conversation about their children. He said something about his daughter-in-law being a pain in the ass and they both laughed.
I thought of Kathy and I making such a trip and the hopefully still playful banter going back and forth. I thought of a lot of couples who don't make it through to the end, and I found myself admiring the man and woman - total strangers - keeping it real.
He put the gas pump back and noticed me for the first time. He nodded and I returned the gesture. I wonder if he was wondering about how much I'd heard. I pretended to look away.
He returned to the front of the car and examined his wife's work.
"You smeared the dirt all over," he said.
"You do it!" she responded. She dropped the squeegee and he caught it before it hit the ground.
"I'm driving," she announced.
"We'll never get there!" he said.
As she ducked by him, he pinched her ass, and she slapped at him.
Too cool. Too scary to see the similarities.
The future is coming and that much of it looks like fun.
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