14 yr olds + a cadillac
as a youth i partook in many an illegal activity. the only explanation i had was a curiosity of the adventure involved and the level of control you feel when you take things into your own hands.
there was a time when a group of us were into 'car hopping'. now this isn't the kind of car-hopping jim cook was into, we weren't looking to run on a car, starting at the trunk and ending up stepping off at the hood. we were semi-geto youth and wanted to get finances + possessions that we were after. some friends of mine had been doing this in the rich neighborhood, they'd get into unlocked cars + check things out until something of value was found. we were out roaming around, more bored than anything, + decided to do this one evening, yet the 2 i was rolling with brought up that there was one house that they hit up a few weeks back and got some $ out of this dude's golf bag. they said that he left his car open and the keys in the trunk last time, the house was around the corner, and that we should check it. to be honest, i was always scared shitless and wasn't too down for going into cars or garages. i did do it a few times, but would usually have hyper-anxiety attacks and imagine the worst possible situation, some dude catching us in the garage and shooting me with a shotgun, or getting busted in some dudes ride + getting beaten to a pulp. i didn't think much of the legal ramifications, more what sort of terrible things could happen to me at the hands of the victim.
i was weirded out that they wanted to go check out the same ride again, i assumed the guy was wise and would have his stuff locked this time anyways, no way he didn't know some kids ganked cash out of his bag.
when we got there, it was a brand new cadillac parked out in the back driveway of this nice house over in the fountain park subdivision. it was night and behind the house was the high school, which sort of weirded me out even more, it felt like we were in the open for all to see. when 'langdang' checked the driver door it was open. how in the hell could this guy leave his car unlocked again, i believe i had thoughts of a drunk business guy, coming home after playing golf, and stumbling out of his car, and into his home. a normal routine that he'd been doing for years, he hated his job, he hated his family, + he drank the time away. that's at least the cynical view of a 14 yr old thief, i believe that would of been a good time to self-reflect.
after going through his stuff, langdang found the guys keys in the ignition. the next logical step for 2 14 yr olds and a 15 yr old would of course be to decide to put our socks on our hands, push the car silently down the driveway and continue down the alley, where we proceed to get in, crank it up and go on a joyride. we were bright boys, i tell u whut.
i remember being both scared shitless + so psyched at the event taking place. i was in the back, langdang at the wheel, and s "so, what are you guys gonna do, leave?" varella in the passenger seat. we were crusing around town in some guys brand new cadillac. what. in. the. hell? so of course the next logical move would be to ride to the next town to a skatespot. we used to rely on rides from parents to spots all over the place, they'd take us there, drop us off for the day with some $ for food, and we'd skate all day until they picked us up. i'm not sure i would trust my kids like that, but that might be with the knowledge of things we got into in those days of true freedom.
when we got to tom thumb banks, we skipped the skating and took to the banks in the car. we jumped it a few times back there, total fools, no thought about what we were doing, then we jumped some islands in the parking lot (like sheffey, but in a cadillac), and decided to roll back to allen (represent!).
on the way back, we were on a deserted suburban road, driving by all of the disguisting sights of strip malls and fast food, when we came to an intersection that was turning yellow. "punch it!", "we can make it!", "aaahh!" and we gunned it through a red light. somehow, as if beamed from another dimension, as soon as we make it through the red light of the intersection of the light we just ran we notice a cop right in front of us. it must of beenthat we sped up, were distracted, or that we had yet to legally drive an automobile, but somehow we didn't see the cop at all. from there we freaked, slammed on the brakes and decided it was time to beeline home.
when we drove the car back, we were once again scared out of our minds, i had visions of returning the car to the driveway to see the owner standing there. we putted down the alley and decided to pull in the driveway with the car on, rather than push it back. we were on high alert, pulling up fast, turning the car off, and making a break the hell outta there.
as we ran down the driveway, and down the alley past the next driveway we noticed a minor detail that passed us in the insanity of it all. we had parked the car in the neighbor's driveway! we laughed our asses off, running through the neighborhood for a good mile, high off adrenaline, and thinking about what the guy would think when he found his car in his neighbor's driveway. somehow i made it to where i am, i think it was an ability to walk the line of serious law-breaking and having some delinquent fun, coupled with a healthy dose of luck. i'm still dealing with karma, though.
p.s. check the era-freshness.
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