On my way to work

I'm on my way to work this morning and just as I make the turn to enter the driveway to work, I see it. It is a old Caprice Classic - the kind you may find a detective from your random big city driving. I notice, almost immediately that the driver is wearing headphones and I wonder if that is legal. Then I notice it. The car is not in bad shape. It could use some paint, but the body is clean.

This car owner scoffed at the idea of spending money on a stereo. That's o.k. I was young once and have found myself in similar situations. What really clenches it for me is that the car is sitting on big rims. Perhaps 22 inches, large looming circles of chrome. I know that rims are not cheap. So this guy made the conscious decision to spend a few thousand on rims, and to forgo the what, $99 or cheaper on a stereo. What really struck me as particularly funny was that the headphones he was wearing were not the slim, wrap around headphones of a Walkman. Nor were they the discreet buds of an ipod. Oh, no, this cat was wearing the fully optimized kind that have a built-in radio. The kind that stick out about two inches on each side.

Then I saw the baby seat in the back and I said a silent prayer for the future.