i mesh well with an eclectic bunch of folks,ive known people from all different walking styles of life. and i also claim myself to be a good listener, and at times i must admit, im terrible at it.... but sometimes compelled by my all ears approach, there are a few who feel free enough to open up to me privately and share an interesting story or anecdote.
just like in the car ride home tonight. an old buddy, ive known for years. a tad more than a third of my life and incomparable gentlemen of sorts, well versed in the ways of football, an endearing soul who you cant help but root for. but then at the very next moment, you find yourself slapping your forehead with disbelief, because of something unique to his nature, an action or reaction to a situation happens. the proverbial wtf!! so you could imagine the story he shared with me when he received his first d.u.i.!!! ha..
it was a sunday, his football obsession at its peak, the roar of his friends in his ear, the pressure of his peers on his back, and the bartender that knew him as family pouring his drinks. combining with an unexpected change of location and a continuance of celebrations is a recipe for an adventure. at this point hes explains that the people around him are falling off stools, frank the tank shouts fill the room, and hes festive and toasty, by the "good stuff", aka patron silver. its smooth like ice and if not careful, you'll find yourself just as where our friend steve did.
A call from another frequent delinquent, directed them over to sonoma kitchen coup. a good drive away, but nothing he couldnt handle. except, for a bit of paranoia and anxiety that set in. by this time i assume the drinks caught up to his system. He spoke briefly about how parking was scarce in downtown campbell, but where he lost both of us, was while he was looking for parking, he explained that he somehow managed to get on the freeway drive for 10 minutes and exit just a little down the road. which happen to be near small pocket ghetto of campbell. If the 1 foot by 2 foot, raider sticker in his back window didnt draw proper attention to him, then maybe it was his location? or perhaps it was the reckless driving excuse the police tagged him with when he was pulled over? he said within seconds of pulling off the freeway he was spotlighted, and ushered to the side of the road. it was a short cop and a female cop. the guy is honest to a fault, and has cops as personal friends. so naturally he was cooperative. but in hindsight, dare i say too much so? a brief exchange of protocol ensued and he handed over the insurance and drivers license.
the female cop asked the questions and the stubby cop simply stood back and watched. she asked him if he knew why they pulled him over. he said, No officer i actually do not. they responded with the reckless driving accusation, but it seems a little fishy, since he just got off the freeway. so ill blame the sticker in hindsight as well. she then asked if he had any drinks, he replied a quick yes, a couple a few hours ago. vague not bad. she responded in time and followed up with where did you come from. he paused and replied, my friends bar.. ack?!! terrible! ("friends" "bar"?? that would imply you had heavy drinks. and a lot of them. the proverbial wtf?) they had him at this point so i figured they decided to play with him by his take of the story.
she asked him to get out of the car, he exited, and she asked him to recite the alphabet. he obliged and gave it a shot. a.b.c.d.e.f.g.h.i.j.k.....j...k......j...k.. he looked at me with the same expression and eyes reliving the horror of basically forgetting a child's task. he said he simply blanked. that he just couldn't remember what came after k, he asked if he could try again the cops smiled and said sure. the second try, and a.b.c.d.e.f.g.h.i.j.k.... j....k.... haha strike two! and in a panic he blurted out if he could write them down,(wtf!) he laughed it off to me, but im sure he actually tried and they let him.
so end result? off to campbells' police station. where they did some formal paper work and booked him proper. they asked him if he would like to take a urine test, or blood test.. what do you think? yep.. wtf!!. steve once in a while gets creative, or brave.. or perhaps he tunes out everything and is clueless! so of course he opts for the blood test, where even the officer asked him again. after she wasn't sure steve understood. he still selected the blood test. so a pin prick, a few minutes passing and then the nurse and officer returned to ask him if he knew the legal limit for cali's. b.a.c.. steve without hesitation said.. 8.25! the cop laughed and ask him only if he were to buy the alcohol. they corrected him kindly and informed him that his level was .21!! where as the limit is only .08!! ouch! almost triple the limit. wtf!. im happy he didnt hurt himself or anyone else.
he explained time blurred at this point and with a short ride later he was down in the drunk tank in the main downtown jail. around 8ish. where he said it was early and only a couple of people were present. but an eternity of a sobering 8 hours later and 30 more guests slowly piled up. leaving the 20x20 cell cramped and filled with deviants, some speaking to themselves, being on one substance or another.. had him screaming for his release. he was shown mercy and set free. so taking an expensive cab ride back to campbell (the silver lining shows up) where his car was still parked!! he explained that the cops when booking him must of felt his good nature or felt sorry for him so they had asked him if he would like them to leave the car there, or have it towed downtown. he said.. by all means leave it! ha..and so as it was..
he said in conclusion he spent about four grand, endured tri-weekly classes for 9 months, and sat next to some 3rd and 4th time offenders, folks with real issues. it had him thinking clearly about it all since. he still does the proverbial WTF regularly, and he still drinks.. but definitely no driving under any influence, especially good since hes a pothead also. i smiled the whole time listening with appreciation and admiration for his unique character. and of course for sharing such a fantanstic story. like ive stated before you cant help but root for the guy. with his warm heart and hilarious nature speaks well over his lack of comprehension. so hopefully he will neverchange! then maybe in the near future, ill have a couple more stories to add. especially those about women. sigh. its a wtf convention
-denn
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