Saturday, May 19, 2007

Fast Car

The laughter around him fades into the background. The girl in front of him continues to chatter away, and he stares, bleary-eyed, pretending to listen. He looks about him - a seedy bar in a seedy part of town. Two blocks from school. Yes, school - what a sham! The endless monotony of sitting through lectures which he doesn't understand, with friends who know him and yet, they don't understand.

The girl is talking, "... and it's in red too, my favourite colour! It purrs like a kitten when you revv it up. Do you want to take a ride in it?" Oh yes, her car. Delightfully mind-numbing.

He stands up and walks out - the girl chasing behind. He stops and looks about him - the full effect of his impotence hits him in the chest. Where am I going? Dad's broke and a drunk, and Mom's run away with someone with a job, with a future. He can't blame her - she deserved a better life - and she gave it her best effort, but Dad is just too far gone to respond.

She's talking again "... oh Come on! It'll be fun. Just you and me driving in the moonlight!"

"You got a fast car,
Is it fast enough so we can fly away
We've got to make a decision.
Leave tonight or live and die this way."

-- Fast Car, Tracy Chapman

No comments: