(no subject)
I was riding in the car with her. Her name was Tami. Actually her name was Pamela but she hated the name Pamela so she went by her nickname Tami. which is good because I hate the name Pamela also. infact I only use it to annoy her. she says it reminds people of Pamela Anderson and she says that when she tells people her real name she catches them look at her breasts.
Tami and I are best friends. I have known her since I was in 4th grade. She had a crush on me but I was still kinda in that "girls-are-yucky-phaze." And now that I am in the "girls-are-yummy-phase". She want to to just be friends. Which is probably for the best because I have known her so long it would kinda be like going out with my sister.
Anyways Tami picked me up at my house and we are gonna go out to the beach. Today is the sand castle festival. last time she was at the beach like three months ago she saw a sign that said that the sand castle festival was coming soon. So she said that we should go. And today she called me up while I was watching the price is right and said "come outside right now."
"Why?"
"Just do it or I will tell everyone that you wet the bed untill you were 12."
I rolled my eyes and stubled outside. And ther she was sitting in her 1978 mercedes. She had the windows down and great big sunglasses on the ones that old women used to wear in the 50's. You know the ones with the pointy sides. She was the kind of girl that would drop everything and run in the rain even if she had her sunday best. I could tell she was looking for an adventure.
"What are you doing?" I asked confused but not at all suprised.
" I am bringing you out on a date." She said this with a trinkle in her eye that made me think that she secretly had a crush on me. Or atleast that is what I would think if she didn't make it a point to say all the time "I am glad we are just friends."
"Tami" I said "you haven't mentioned the sand castle trip for months."
She didn't say anything she just looked at me. as if she was saying "yeah so " Then she said in a totally different tone "whats the matter did you think I forgot" There is that smile in her eye again. I swear I woud give anything to get inisde her head just to find out where I stood with her. Not to get out of going but just to tease her back I said "I can't go the the beach I don't have any trunks"
"you can use mine" She said while holding up a kikini bottom in her hand.
I shuttered. she laughed.
"get in the car or we are gonna hit traffic." This time she ment it I could tell that if I pushed it she was gonna get annoyed. That was one thing about Tami you really did not want to get on her bad side. I was once that was 6th grade and I am not going to tell that story right now.
I got ready as fast as I could but still we got stuck in traffic. It wasn't really my fault there was an accident and traffic was a virtual parking lot. Just stop and go as far as we could see. We were listeing to the Police. Tami loved old 70's music. She was shaking her head. back and forth to the music singing at the top of her lungs "Roxanne" It actually made me a little nervous when she gets this into the music. She can be kinda a space case sometimes.
Just as I am watching her throw her head back and yell "You don't have to turn on the red light." When the car ahead of her moves forward what she doesn't notice is that the car to her left has been waiting patently to get into our lane. She darts ahead. and the car falls in line behind us a few cars back. Tami is oblivious but I notice all this.
It was a man in a truck you know the kind. The jacked up exetremly high trucks with the mud flaps of naked chicks. I am not stereotyping here he really had those mud flaps with the naked chick on them. I know this because a minuite later the man came flying by on thes shoulder. and swerved in front of us. I got a very good view of the naked lady outline on his truck's mud flaps.
As the man passed he yelled out his window. He yelled at Tami. He called her the C-word. infact he called the the f-in C-word.
It was really weird. She wasn't used to being called the C-word. for all her flirtatious attitude Tami wans't used to being called names especially the C-word. Infact untill now I wasn't even sure she knew what the the C-word was. I looked at Tami. She had stopped singing. I could tell that he had crushed her spirit. completly. I was about to tell that she had kept him from entering the lane when I saw it. She bit her bottom lip. I know Tami, and I know that when she bits her bottom lip that means she she is really biting back the tears.
I got out of the car. started to walk out to the truck. I am not sure what my intentions were. I mean all I knew is that this guy had hurt Tami's feelings and I wasn't ok with that. I think I thought I could get him to appologize. I don't know. I really wasn't thinking about it all that much.When I approached the car he had already gotten out of the truck.I didn't notice it at the time but he was quite a bit larger than I was. older too. I started to explain and I honestly can't remember what I said but I remember it being pretty polite considering what I had just said to Tami.
"Excuse me" I said "what did you say to my girlfriend?" She wasn't my girlfriend but this was no time for semantics.
I don't remember what he said but I do remember what happened next. He shoved me on the shoulder and as I was falling backwards. I swung with my left and connected right on his jaw. I hit him. I hit him hard. He fell backwards and stumbled to the ground but got back up. for the next five minuites it was pretty much a wrestling match and we were all over the place. We started to throw each other around flying against cars, breaking off hood ornaments. thrwoing each other on the cement. Untill finally I felt someone grabbing my shoulder and saying " ok ok ok its over its over, thats it now its over."
The hand ended up belonging to an old lady infact it was the guys mother. She was the one breaking up the fight.I couldn't believe that his mother was breaking up the fight. I couldn't believe that that he had yelled that word infront of his own mother. Other people had gotten out of thier cars now but they were really there for some sort of moral support they weren't going to step in.
I hung my head and walked back to the car. Tami was sitting in her seat but she wasn't about to bite her lip.She didn't say anyhthing. She just kinda looked at me. I have never seen that face before so I can't really judge what she is feeling. But I can tell you how ashamed I was. I felt so childish fighting like that over some girl that wasn't even my girlfriend. I hung my head and listened to "So lonely." by the Police. it was the best of CD. Then Tami turned the radio off. we drove for the next 15 minuites in silence.I was shaking all over. I couldn't keep my hands still. My heart was pounding a million miles a minuite I didn't know what to say. I felt like an idiot. I hope she didn't hear me call her my girlfriend.
The traffic had loosened up now and we were moving pretty fast. but still Tami didn't say anything I felt to bad to break the silence so I waited. Then we got off the freeway, we were just outside of the city and we stopped to get gas. We pulled up to the gas station but Tami pulled into the parking lot.
I looked up. She was crying. There were tears all over her face. She had been crying silently all the way here.
"Oh Daniel" She said.
"Whats the matter?" I asked. Maybe she was more shooken up by that c-word thing than I thought.
"No-one has ever done that for me before." she said as she sniffed.
"Oh Tami" I said. "Tami, Tami, Tami" I said as I held her head close to my chest where my heart was still beating a little fast from the fight 15 minuites ago.
"Tami, Tami, Tami." I never noticed how her name worked as a fun playful nickname and a sweet word of love also. The name sounded so sweet in my mouth. "Tami, Tami, Tami," It was almost like I was saying "Tami don't worry, you are mine, You are mine, You are mine You are mine. You are mine."
~Dan