Chasing thunderstorms

I've known Eric since we were in Mr. Martins' 6th grade homeroom together. Were we friends then? No. In fact, we didn't even start talking until 11th grade in Alternative Ed. And even then it was only a "hey". Heh, what a joke. Alternative Ed. Why not just call it what it was? A class room full of trouble kids that scared the teachers, the kids that asked questions and demanded answers no matter the consequences. Some of the kids were bad kids admittingly but for the most part we were all just really smart kids that society had shunned.

My friendship with Eric didn't even really start until earlier this year. Two people who, although surrounded by others, sought out the companionship of an unlikely source. Seperated by 3,000 miles and the internet we found out that we were so similar it was uncanny. Over a few months of coorispondance Eric and i formed a friendship it takes most people years to accomplish. So when i came home to Michigan for the summer it was no surprise that we spent a good chunk of my month there together.

This thing i love most about Eric and i is that we don't need words. Give us a full tank of gas and some music and we have the makings of a beautiful evening. Most of the month i was there was dry. And as we drove around those nights we encountered a lot of thunderstorms. But one night in particular, we were faced with somehthing i have heard about but never experiecned. A dry thunderstorm. We reved up the engine and sped off in hot persuit. I was always the dj and i started shuffling through the tunes when i stumbled across "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Dangerfield. My reaction went something like this:

"Holy fucking shit! I haven't heard this song in forever!"

"Huh?" was Eric's reply, "What song?"

"Flagpole Sitta!!! Harvey fucking Dangerfield man!" i squeeled in delight

"I don't recognize it, you know i downloaded that top 100 cd, the whole thing, i've been too lazy to go through there though to pick out what i want to keep."

I pushed the play button and the fermiliar chords flooded my ears, i rolled down the window, leaning my head out and closing my eyes. Singing aloud, screaming the words that took me back to a time when songs like this were controversial because they said "God damn you" and you played them in your room kinda quiet so your parents couldn't hear. Eric pulled over to the side of the road and we both sat silent on the hood of his car as the song blared away in the background and the lightening in the distance shot out and illuminated the night.