Tonight
Whenever I write that word I think of Phil Collins, and Phil Collins makes me think of:1. The 80's. He was all over the place, and not just the music charts (as a solo and w/genesis), he was also an actor, which leads to ...
2. Miami Vice. "In the air tonight", "Tonight tonight tonight". Also, he brilliantly played a con-man in a hilarious episode of Miami Vice. Back then, MV was my favorite show. I never missed it. Because of it, I'll always have a soft spot for art deco, Miami, pastels, synth music, columbian drug lords, Cubans, moderate violence, gun play, fast cars, hot chicks, and slick production.
3. Summer school. Wanna know how big of a geek I was? Well, I had to go to summer school for one summer because I failed 2nd semester Geometry because of my buddy Ian Pilak and Al (I forget his last name). We came to class, started ripping on each other, and never stopped until the semester was over and we all had failed. Anyway, summer school was not that bad. I got to attend with a lot of new kids from other schools. I was not dumb, I was just a total idiot. Not listening in class and not doing my homework landed me in SS, not my lack of brains (just my inability to focus my brains in the right direction). So, I was somewhat admired in SS, ...sorta. Everyone else there was dumb. Real dumb. I towered like a giant. Nice feeling. We were only there a few hours each day, and no one knew if I was a loser or not. We all came from different neighborhoods and different schools, so I had a clean slate.
Also, this was about the time I discovered "fashion" and started trying to look good. Oh yeah, my geekness, ...ok, well, after my first year of SS, I decided to go back for another year. I did not have to go, I WANTED to go. Yes. I loved writing and wanted to have as many chances to write as I could, so I took extra English classes. GEEK.
Anyway, there was this one girl. I don't remember her name, but like me, she looked very out of place. She was blonde, gorgeous, and rich. Everyone else there was rather poor as this was the Milwaukee Public School system. By stealing her attendance information from the teacher's desk, I got her address and found out she came from Fox Point, a VERY wealthy suburb that was a good 15-20 miles away from the school we attended. I was fascinated to know why she was there, but I was a geek, remember? She drove a brand new, 1986 red Toyota Corolla (I think it was a Corolla). My only hope at meeting her was to jump out in front of her car as she drove off, get hit, and rake in the sympathy. (Other male geeks will no doubt will have had similar thoughts)
Each day I tracked her movements after class. I discovered where she usually parked and which street she used to drive back to the freeway. I resolved to make my move on a particular day near the end of the summer semester. I dashed out down the block and waited behind a parked car for her. Her car was coming. Suddenly, I'm frozen with questions: what do I say when she asks what I was doing? what if she does not stop? why didn't I think of these questions before?
This indecision forced me to mis-time my jump into the street. No, I didn't jump too late. I jumped too early. She was about 20 feet away. Another thing I did not think of, what if she is only driving 5 mph? She came to a slow, gentle, almost affectionate stop about 15 feet away from me. I slinked off, knowing I could not try this stunt with her again. As you can guess, I have not gotten any better with women in the last 17 years.This is what Phil Collins makes me think of.
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