Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Spokane, Washington

The summer after I graduated high school I began working for a painter. It wasn't an easy job because, let's face it, no job in the construction industry during an Arizona summer is easy.

This was also the summer when, for a few weeks, the air conditioning in my truck refused to function.

During those hellish weeks, I remember driving home one night from a jobsite. With my windows down, I slowed to a stop at a red light. A man in a car pulled up next to me. His windows were down too. I looked over and our eyes met.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," I replied.

"It's hot."

"Yeah." I wasn't in the habit of conversing with strangers at stoplights.

"I'm from back East so I'm not used to this heat," he continued.

Curiosity got the best of me and I love geography so I inquired, "Where are you from?"

"Spokane, Washington."

The light turned green and he drove away.

3 comments:

  1. I spent a summer in New Jersey and when I told people I was from Idaho they would occasionally respond with "oh I know someone from Ohio!" After reading your story I may just start telling people I'm from the East Coast

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  2. Very cool, I like it. I felt like I was there.

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  3. That's the most hilarious thing I've read all week! This is a true story, right? Maybe he grew up on the "East Side" of Spokane. Haha!

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