No where else to put this - adventures in a red truck

As some of you know I once taught parenting classes and GED and have advised a variety of students of all ages. One of my "sayings" was (and is), "Your mama was right. Sometime you get in trouble just because you are at the wrong place at the wrong time. So it is important to make good decisions about your friends. They can get you into trouble or keep you out of it. Choose good friends."

Well, my good friend BC and I had breakfast together recently. We discussed a class we are taking together and some projects. One project is in the final stages. One is in the planning stage and we drew out our ideas on spare napkins at the restaurant. [I can see our instructor now - wondering about our squiggles on napkins when we turn in our planning information.]

At the last minute - just before we each drove off to a day full of errands and chores - we decided to head out to a local ceramics store. The woman who owns the shop lives in a small country town. She has a good-sized metal building with kilns and clay, green ware and bisque ware, and a variety of glaze. We thought we would check out the glaze and look at everything - you know, window-shop a bit. So I called "shotgun" and jumped in my friend's vehicle.

As we headed out of town, we were stopped at a red light - next to a caravan of college students.* My friend had just lit a cigarette and rolled down the window because I do not smoke** and my friend is considerate.

My friend talks to everyone. It is who she is. And she waived and nodded at the students in the next vehicle. At that point the young man in the passenger seat rolled down his window and asked, "You got room on that for a couple more?"***

My friend acted like she had not heard him, but engaged the fellow in conversation about their trip and such. Then the light changed and each vehicle headed out. As we drove away my friend hooted, "He thought this was a doobie!"

We laughed, snickered, shook our heads, and wondered aloud if he was kidding us or if he really thought that these two crazy-looking old ladies were "toking"**** as we drove down the road.

The red truck cut through the countryside, down roads bordered by freshly tilled fields on one side and new crops just up a few inches on the other. We talked about how much we love spring best***** - as trees begin to bud-out and the crops fill the fields. We talked about how funny life is - if you look at it the right way.

And we giggled again about what the conversation must have been among those students as they watched we two wild women drive away.


NOTES:

*Don't ask, I am not a snitch.
**Cigarette smoke makes me cough. I am forever grateful I never learned to smoke. I try not to preach too much about getting my friends and family to quit. It is tough, I know.
***I am an idiot and at first thought he asked if we "had room for a couple more" in the truck - a wisecrack about the cluttered condition of her back seat. I forgot that her windows are tinted and you cannot see in her back seat (unlike my cluttered back seat that is open for all to see).
****I know some of the lingo, but confess I have never partaken of any illegal substances. I cannot speak for my friend.
*****We love spring best until fall. We love fall best when it finally comes and breaks the unspeakable heat of our summers.