Fridays are always a hit and miss for me. They can produce some very memorable nights or leave you in complete boredom. This Friday was the former and became a memorable night for many years to come. Mark was young and eager and that was just what I liked in a man. This Friday was the start of his change from a boy to a man and I helped him do that. Let me tell you how I did that for him.
Mark had jumped in his new toy, a Header Orange Dodge Charger that had caught his attention the moment he saw it. He had left his condo and pulled out just ahead of me and almost lost it from giving it too much gas.
He was cruising along the main strip of town, trying to look and see if the single women walking along in pairs or groups were noticing him, without being obvious about it. He put a cocky smile on his face and tried to look as assured of himself as he could.
Being twenty-four years old and just out of college, he had attained the smarts required to land a job as a software architect with a local firm. The starting pay was more than sufficient for him to get his own condo and the newest toys, including this new toy.
Mark loved all his toys and had many at his place to enjoy. The 60" LED Smart TV, connected to a high end 5.1 speaker system, allowed him the joy of watching movies comparable to a theater showing. He had spent numerous hours downloading music from iTunes to his MacBook Pro, which played through the system. I got to see it all the first time I went to his place. All the toys for boys to make him happy. Toys were what made him what he was.
He stopped at the red light and searched through his iPod Touch for the right kind of tune to play loud and catch some attention. He was keeping an eye on the traffic light, the movement of my car coming up beside him caught his attention. He glanced over and watched my '71 Chevelle ragtop pull up alongside him.
As he let his focus follow the car, he noticed me. I was listening to a soft rock station and tapping my fingers on the steering wheel along with the song. He must have hated soft rock and as soon as he found his song, he turned it up loud and rocked his head in time with the beat.
He looked at the opposing light turning yellow and then noticed the passenger window of my car go up. He put a mocking smile on his face, thinking I was put off by the loud, alternative rock he was playing. The light turned green and Mark gave it more gas than it needed and made the tires squeal when he took off. The feel of the power and the pounding beat were putting him into the party mode he was looking to be in. He drove along, scanning the sidewalk for pretty women to impress, as I cruised along behind him.
Up ahead, he noticed a woman walking along by herself and he slowed down to check her out. She had great legs, even at the distance he was from her, he could tell they were nice, I sure could. Her ass swayed in a sensual rhythm with her step, her hips twitching at the end of every step, accentuating the curve of her cheeks. The short, white mini-skirt seemed to wrap itself around and cling precariously to her, threatening to expose the ample treasures underneath, should she slip up and move the wrong way.
He changed lanes and pulled into the curb lane to get a closer look. She had a long, lean looking body that was obviously exercised to stay that way. As he came closer, I knew he could make out the details of her well defined legs and the accentuation of her calves, made more so by the white high heel shoes.
Mark watched her long, light brown hair swish and bob with her steps and became entranced by her. He was close now to being beside her and looked sideways, trying to get a better look. The swell of her breasts was more than ample and suggested that they were either God given beauties, or enhanced by the wonders of silicone. Either way, they looked tantalizing to him as they bounced seductively.
The loud music caught her attention and she turned to it. She noticed Mark and flashed him a smile. Mark smiled back with the best 'Check me out' smile he could muster. She was drop dead gorgeous with a face to rival any pin-up girl. I was finding it interesting to watch, as I followed along just behind him in the other lane.
As he focused on the beauty before him, he failed to notice the parked car until it was too late and before his reaction to stop could be transmitted to his foot, he rammed into the back of an old Oldsmobile. That's when I pulled in behind slowly and stopped.
He stared in shock and disbelief that he had done it. He had wrecked his new car of only three months and all because of a woman he couldn't stop looking at. He searched through the gathering crowd for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished in his moment of distress and hadn't even stopped to make sure he was okay. He got out and went to look at the damage, as steam started rising from the front of the car. That surely meant his radiator was damaged.
A number of the onlookers were laughing, having seen the reason he had crashed. He felt as embarrassed about the why, as much as the how he had crashed. He tried to open the hood, but it was dented in and jammed the mechanism. The owner of the Oldsmobile came out of a liquor store and looked at what had occurred.
"What happened here?"
Mark looked at the disheveled, old man carrying a bag of liquor bottles and apologized.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was looking at something else and didn't see your car in time."
The old Oldsmobile had a solid, but rusty bumper and didn't sustain any real damage. The old man just looked at Mark and shook his head.
"Well no real damage to mine, son. But yours is going to take a bit more than paint to fix it. No need to get the police or insurance involved is there?"
"I guess not. Again, I'm real sorry, mister."
Mark apologized again, more out of embarrassment than a need to.
"I'd say, just keep your eyes where they're supposed to be and you won't have this problem anymore"
The man told Mark with a smirk, knowing that it must have been something to do with a woman that had caused it to happen. He got in his car and started it up, blowing blue exhaust smoke from the tail pipe. Mark stood in the cloud of foul smelling, oily smoke and cursed himself. The small crowd dissipated and went on their way, leaving him standing by himself.
Mark looked forlornly at his beautiful possession and kicked the front of it and swore at himself for being so stupid. He walked to the back so he wouldn't have to be reminded of his stupidity. As he stood calling for a tow truck, I pulled up slowly behind him. He turned and looked at me, at first not recognizing me as the woman who had stopped beside him earlier. I got out and came around to him.
"You're not having a very good night, are you?"
"No, I'm not. I just wrecked the front of my new car and I'm pissed off at myself for doing it."
He was showing his anger and frustration, so I tried not to mention the woman and add to his misery that way.
"Need a lift, or anything?"
Mark remembered me and changed his attitude towards me to one with more respectful tone.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. It's just, well, I just got the car and I was going out to have a good time tonight and..."