3/14/07
Last week it was seven degree’s here in Wisconsin and yesterday it was seventy degree’s. Maybe Spring Fever is why people are acting more helpful and happy today. As you recall I have a key on a ring hanging out of my trunk latch. This is because the trunk latch and automatic opener are both broken and the three hundred dollars to repair it is not the problem, I am the problem although I didn’t realize this until 10:52 this morning when nine people had gone to extreme lengths to inform me I had a key in my trunk latch. Why. Would that key break the car or cause an accident or could someone steal my car while I am driving it? Or maybe these people think it will fall out and I will lose it. What is the big deal about the key in the trunk?
I say I am the problem because I have not repaired the latch and instead have had fun with this situation for a long time although today was a bit over the edge. I wanted to see how far and how many people would let me know it was there, for whatever reason they are doing it, and they are doing it in droves. As I said it must be Spring Fever!
I was listening to my radio when I heard this noise which got louder and louder. I looked around and low and behold on the passenger side of my vehicle is an African American man driving in the “bus lane” hollering at me and waving his arm toward the trunk. I could hear that man over the top of my radio and with all the windows closed. He startled me, but I opened the window and graciously thanked him. Off he sped and back into normal traffic lanes.
I was sitting in my car writing down some information pertaining to my job when a woman knocked on my driver’s side window. She scared me nearly flat as my mind was way far away from anyone doing that. I rolled down the window and she proceeded to tell me she couldn’t live with herself one more minute if she didn’t come back and tell me I had a Key in my trunk. I thanked her profusely so she could go on living longer.
But I do want to know why she couldn’t go on one more minute if she didn’t tell me about that key. Maybe it is I, maybe there is something phenomenal about leaving a key in one’s trunk that I need to know. If so would someone enlighten me please?
The most dramatic “key helper” came to me at a red light. I was into my oldie’s radio station when suddenly a 6’5” giant man is banging on my drivers window! I have just taken a bite of cheese with a pretzel. A whole pretzel with cheese makes my mouth full. I can do that when I am alone and I did. But I wasn’t alone wa s I? He scared me so bad I jumped like a jackrabbit. He hollered, “Sorry I scared you but you have a key in your trunk.’ I said, with a mouthful, “thank you!” He asked, “Could I get the key for you?” I said, with a mouthful, “NO!” He ran back to his car and I know he thought that I thought he was a predator. Of course I didn’t, so I gave him a high thank you wave, which in wave talk on the road means an extra thank you. He was resituating himself in his car when he “read” my thank you wave and instantly felt better and raised his 6’5” hand that said “Your welcome.” The light turned green. This time I am doing 55 M.P.H. on the beltline, which is our major highway through and around our city. Suddenly there is a car parallel to my driver’s side and very close. The man is waving and yelling so I roll down my window to relieve his stress. It wasn’t like I didn’t know what he was going to say. He hollers, ’The key is in yo trunk!” I smiled and said, “Oh, Thank you so much!” He felt like he had helped an old lady across the street. I made his day.
Next time I am at a convenience store dropping off some books when the most gorgeous specimen of testosterone (a man) smiles at me and calmly says, “You have a key in your trunk!” This time I told him I was aware of that and it was amazing how many people tell me. I wont do that again because people/he was/ are offended that I know there is a key in my trunk. Or maybe he felt dis-regarded or embarrassed. Either way I will only be thankful to people who see the key from now on.
Over the past couple months of winter while the key rode trunk side I have been shown how much people care and how polite they can be. But since Spring weather came yesterday and today people are overdoing nice regarding this displaced key.
I am back to work and daydreaming at a stoplight when this man starts honking and honking which scared the bejeebees out of me and made me mad. I thought he was honking so I would turn on the red light so I honked back. He then honks again and again and as I looked in my mirror he is waving his arms frantically. So I wave my arms back. Then I realize he is talking to me in wave talk. He didn’t want me turn anywhere, his wave said, “KEY IN TRUNK!” So I respond with wave talk, “I KNOW!” But I knew he couldn’t read wave and would think I understood. Nope, he jumps out of his car and I think, Oh My God, here we go……he gets the key and hands it to me and I am very gracious to him. Really!! This man was Oriental. I tell you all this because I am amazed at all the different nationalities that have tried to save me from whatever that key could do to hurt me. Quite the opposite, it has blessed me.
Now it is 10:52 a.m. and I am on the Southside of the city at a stop, ready to get out of my car and deliver my goods to the library when I hear a deafening BOOM BOOM BOOM from someone’s stereo. I plugged my ears with my fingers, which I do not usually do and I didn’t mean for him to see me but he saw me and he stopped his car directly next to me, turned down his stereo, and with a very sober face and monotone voice he said, “Do you know you have a key in your trunk?” I smiled and thanked him. I was thinking, don’t kill me please. He turned his stereo to the place it was before the Key and drove away, BOOM< BOOM< BOOM.
Many hours have passed and I am at my last stop of the day putting my seat belt on to go home. It is rush hour traffic but our city’s rush hour isn’t so bad and tonight it was fairly mild. Calmly and quietly a young man around my son’s age walked over to my window and did not holler, honk, or use wave language, nor did he remove the key from its place. He had impeccable manners and said, Maam, did you know you have a key in your trunk? I said, Thank you very much. (You gracious and sweet person.)
What a lovely way to end the workday.
