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Nov. 28, 2007 (A Lesson In Humility) I’m driving alone in my convertible. My brand new Chrysler Sebring JXI, with the top down. It’s the weekend. I’ve got nothing to do, and all day to do it! I’m feeling good about things. One of those “It’s gonna be a bright, bright, sun shiny day” days in Southern California. Very typical weather for us spoiled Angelinos! Cool driving music on. Rock and roll with lots of ringing guitars, and cool bass lines, too! I think it was Lenny Kravitz or someone funky like that. Got on some really cool Ray Bans I bought from Costco. Actually just came from a 7-11. I’m sippin’ on a medium Coca-Cola Slurpee on one hand, a spicy Slim Jim on the other, and a medium-sized bag of pork rinds waiting on my lap. Not the regular kind, but the orange-colored, spicy one that leaves orange powdery pieces all over your shirt and lap. I'm just driving alone, minding my own business, surrounded by all kinds of cars, with all kinds of drivers. An older middle-aged woman on her PT Cruiser passes to my left. A white Ford truck zooms by my right, driven by a couple of young guys. I notice their dirt bikes on the back of the truck, strapped down with chains and bungee cords. A very head-thumpin’ ride indeed! Then the music changes to another cool song! “No need to change stations,” I thought. Then a nice looking young “chick” on a shiny new BMW drives by to my left and gives me a glance. She’s also driving alone. She must be no more than twenty-one, twenty-two years old, and very attractive. I would go as far as “hot” at this point. She’s a brunette, with thick long hair, wearing one of those oversized designer sunglasses. Probably a Gucci purchased at a mall, unlike my Ray Bans. She looks young and innocent, yet with her long hair and sunglasses, she looks sophisticated and ready for action. I don’t feel that far off, being in my early thirties. And when has age really mattered, anyway? Of course, I glance back. You always “feel” someone’s glance, no matter who gives it to you. And of course, you have to look. You have to. The only ones that don’t look are those who think they are God’s gift to the opposite sex. You know who you are! Oh, and sorry, but in Southern California “opposite” doesn’t necessarily apply. Sorry, but I have to tell it like it is! We stop at a red light, and now she is behind the car to my left. I look at my left side-view mirror to glance, but not quite obviously. You have to play that “I’m-cool-and-I’m-too-important-to-look-at you-but-I- will-still-look-anyway” game. In the sales world, they simply call it a “take-away”. We keep passing each other as we stop and go through passing green and red lights. In my mind, I say: “whoa, we must be going to the same place.” Then another thought enters: “Cool, I like what I’m wearing today, too. I’m also glad I put on the “Ice” gel, not the cheaper, weaker “I can’t even remember” brand. We keep driving by each other. I glance, and then she glances back, and vice-versa. I’m feeling even better now. Like Quagmire on Family guy would say: Awwlllll riiight!!! Then we finally stop together at a red light. I look to my left, not quite at her direction, but towards the cars crossing in front of us. This was a big intersection, with at least three lanes on each side. I thought: “It’s going to be a long wait for the green light, maybe more than a minute.” Then I feel her glance again. This time, I turn my head completely around, giving her my “complete and undivided’ attention. She leans towards me with her shy innocence, her hand on the passenger seat, and says: “Excuse me Sir, can you tell me where Whittier Boulevard is?” I say: “Oh, it’s a couple of blocks away, straight ahead. Can’t miss it.” Then she nods, says “thanks”, closes her window and looks straight ahead as if I was some kind of a threat. What a downer! Suddenly it wasn’t such a sun shiny day! It was my first and most memorable “Sir”! An ultimate blow to the ego! A day ruiner! Suddenly the pork rinds didn’t taste so good! The Slurpee became a flat cola! It was a “Swinger” movie-ending moment! Back to life, back to you know what! A four-letter word called reality. An a-ha, life-is-changing moment! I won’t dare call it a “senior” moment, but it truly was, in every sense of the word! That forgettable event happened probably close to ten years ago. I’ve been “Sirred” many times since, but like they say: “You never forget the first one!” Next time you have the urge to “Sir” or “Maam” anyone, please remember: “excuse me” will do! ------------ About the author: Robert Calixto read a simple quote, and suddenly his creative floodgates opened! One of those self-defining, quotable quotes you read on Reader’s Digest. Since the middle of 2006, he has written fifteen plus songs, engineered and produced a rock/pop album, learned to play the bass guitar, finished his motivational self-help sales manuscript, started a novel, and to add, decided to write a biography. The scifi/political thriller about chemical warfare and a miracle cure is due out in the summer of 2008, and the biography will hopefully be finished by the end of the same year. The biography is about his grandmother, an unlicensed midwife who delivered thousands of children in the Philippines. He is anxiously awaiting his trip to Manila in January of 2008, to finish his research on his grandmother’s life. Professionally, Robert has been in the real estate industry since 1992, and has operated his own real estate and loan office since 1999. He’s also taught real estate from 2001 to 2005. In the same period, he taught Confirmation at his local community church. He is currently writing columns to keep his focus on his newfound challenge, writing! Oh yeah, and the quote?... ”You don’t find yourself, you make yourself.” Visit The Rubs on myspace: www.myspace.com/xxrub Email Robert Calixto: calixtorobert@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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