Behind my house where I grew up was a small creek that served as the official playground of me and my brothers. It also doubled as a great place for the stupid to get into trouble.
I was down in the creek throwing rocks at things my brother placed on the wall of the bridge above me. He would warn me when cars would be coming by, and I would wait and then resume throwing rocks over the bridge. Well, the patience of an 8 year old wears thin in a hurry, and I started cutting my throws closer and closer as cars drove past.
He warned me of a van coming, but I threw anyway. My rock sailed high, and I heard the most sickening sound a kid throwing rocks could imagine, breaking glass. Back then, I wasn't one for facing the consequences of my actions (or now, some would argue), so I turned and bolted, leaving my brother stranded on the bridge. I figured he could handle himself, and if we split up, they'd never catch us both.
I ran through the creek and back towards the woods as fast as I could. I risked a sprained ankle with every step. My shoes were starting to get soaked with creek water, something which my mother would surely kill me for if the van people didn't beat her to it. Oddly, John Couger's "Hurt So Good" sprung into my head as I continued on. (It was the big song of the day.)
The fate of my brother weighed upon me as I cut through the back of the Marsh grocery store that housed the Pac Man machine. I also wondered how much damage I had caused the van. Was it the headlight? The windshield? Surely they were taking out their wrath on my poor brother. I prayed that he had ran and escaped, and was not in the hands of the same authorities that hassled me for my firework display earlier in the year.
Pouring sweat, I returned home. I was exhausted, and my shoes were still soaked. There were no cruisers in the driveway, a good sign. I slowly opened the screen door and poked my head inside. I spotted my brother sitting on the couch enjoying cartoons with a bowl of cereal in his lap. I asked, "What happened?! How'd you get away? Did you run?!" To which he replied, "Naaaah. They just kept drivin'."
