Last night, a couple of friends and I went for drinks on the Sunset Strip. As we were getting into my car to leave - a 5-year-old Ford ZX2 with 78,000 miles and a healthy number of dings and paint chips - someone called out to me, "Nice car." I looked up to see a group of young guys grinning out of the open windows of a white Mercedes. I gave the guy in the passenger seat a smile and got into my car, unable to think of a good retort.* Also, I had to digest what had just happened: The only-in-status-obsessed-Los-Angeles equivalent of an egging.
This incident brings to mind the last time someone told me "Nice car" in reference to my little ZX2. It was about 2 years ago, in Baltimore. I had driven to a creek to catch crabs on a summer day, and a boy about 12 years old who was out there fishing or something saw the car and said, "Is that your car? Nice car." And he had meant it.
*I later thought of many things I could have said. One of them was, "Like it? I'll let you sit in it if you promise to shut up and just look pretty." But I think I was better off smiling and letting the insult fall flat. It's like when you tell a joke and no one laughs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
This makes Baltimore sound nice! I emailed you about this already(at the FOB address, just cause I don't have any other one for you)but I found out on Friday I got into JHU and I decided to go there! So I really need your input about the city before I leave. Local knowledge is so helpful!
Baltimore!!!! Or Bawlmer, as you'll learn to call it. Such a great little town. We have to get together soon so I can tell you about all my fave places. I will introduce you to all my buddies -- they're always looking for fun new people to assimilate. Resistance is futile. :-)
Post a Comment