Copyrights reserved by the author. If you are in doubt, please click on 'Copyrights' and read the details.A moving society of strangers By J. G. Fabiano In today's industrialized society most of us have to drive to work. Ok, I shouldn't say most because there are people who no longer have to because they have too much money and there are others who don't have to because there is no longer work to drive to. I and millions like me are stuck somewhere in the middle. I noticed something the other morning driving to where I knew I had to go. Over the last twenty or so years as I drove the same route at the same time I usually put my mind in auto drive because I never thought there was much to see or remember. Maybe I drank a bit too much coffee that morning or maybe I got a bit too much sleep but I started to observe people who were doing the same thing I was doing. This doesn't sound so special but the people I observed were the same people I drove with over the past couple of decades. I didn't really drive with them but I drove over the same roads they did at the same time every day. I decided to play a game and try and see who these people were. The first person I noticed or I should say I noticed his truck, was a man I peripherally observed every morning. He drove a very small Ford pickup with a rather distinctive plate hanging on the back of his bumper. What made the plate memorable was it stated, "IAMIT'. It always gave me a giggle because I had no concept who would advertise that on the back of his vehicle. I remember glancing into the cab of this truck many years ago seeing a small but young man with perfectly combed hair staring into his windshield. Today, passing along side I observed a small bald man holding on to his steering wheel with both hands. Even though I slowed down he continued to stare straight ahead as though he knew if he lost his concentration he would lose control of his truck. I was tempted to hit my horn and give him a wave but I imagined if I did it would probably shock him into a ditch. Driving past the truck I noticed another car I have noticed over the past too many mornings. It looked comparatively new but it was the same make and color car I remember driving with ever since I started this drive to work. The woman inside had very high hair. I remember wondering how such a small head could hold that much hair. In the past I remember the color of the hair being somewhere between red and black. I think one would call it henna but since I have little hair left on my head I am far from the expert. Today the color of this woman's hair was silver gray. The first thing I discovered was that I had been driving on the same roads for so many years I had literally watched this society of strangers grow old. Like I did before I drove over to the side of this car and glanced into the window. I tried not to be obvious using as much peripheral vision as possible. What I observed in the seconds I was allowed was a woman with very sad eyes. As to why I focused in on her eyes is above and beyond my comprehension and how I could feel a kind of sorrow surprised me but it was there. For a second I was mesmerized by this image but soon realized I did not want her to see me invading a privacy I did not want to invade. I hit the accelerator and off into the passing lane I flew. I was now half-way through my trip to work. I lost a bit of interest in my quest to see who I traveled with until I noticed another vehicle that was quite distinctive. I should say what was all over the back of the vehicle made it distinctive because it was filled with every type of religious bumper stickers I have ever seen. There were fish and pro-life and pro anything that had to do with God and religion plastered not only on the bumper but all over the back of the car. There was a couple in the car with a man driving and the woman sitting stoically in the passenger seat. Driving near the car I did not observe any communication between the two of them. When I finally reached the side of their car I snuck a peak to see who these people were that traveled with me every day. This time the woman caught my glance. For a second I hoped she would give me a smile or even a wave of her hand. I did get that wave but it more of a signal I had better get away from both of them before they decided to drive me off the road. This time, instead of driving past, I slowed down and allowed them to drive many cars ahead of mine. After this last experience I decided to concentrate on what my day was going to bring and forget about any quest to get into the minds of people like me. Right before I exited the highway I noticed a car had been traveling parallel to my car for the past few minutes. When I turned my head to look I noticed a man smiling as though he wanted to say hello. He even gave me a friendly wave. I, on the other hand, turned my head back to the road and spun off on the exit leaving the person who dared to invade my privacy in the dust. Maybe the other driver had a bit too much morning coffee. The End.
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