American-ocity

A Story:

I parked my motorcycle about two blocks from work this morning at a Starbucks, I was about an hour early due to the lack of traffic. I parked on the street in between two cars then went inside and ordered a $3.95 special Tall coffee and a sausage, cheese, and egg muffin.  Happy with my food choice, I sat at the bar with stools that faced out the window with my helmet sitting on the bar next to me. Over the next 10 minutes while enjoying my coffee the two cars next to my bike moved, and my bike was alone on the other side of the street.

Then this giant 53ft (18 meter) semi truck turned the corner and I instantly knew from how he was driving and the expression on his face that he was hoping that no one was where my bike was, so he could park there. He glance around and saw me, who at the same time was seeing him, then put his hands together as if begging and mouthed “Please?”

So I set down my sausage sandwich, and walked towards the door, and he set off to drive back around the block. I moved my motorcycle real quick to the other side of the street, and he parked his truck in the spot I was just blocking, waving thank you to me as he did. I smiled and nodded back, returning to my breakfast.

He crossed the street and came into the Starbucks and we didn’t even really look at each other while he went to the counter, I assumed that he too needed a caffeine fix. Then, after a minute or two,  he tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a Starbucks giftcard and said thanks and that I have no idea how nice it was to move my bike. I attempted to decline, but he insisted and told me he ruined my breakfast so he would buy the next one. He then went back outside and proceeded to unload his deliveries for the El Pollo Loco across the street.

It’s things like this, and our general kindness (which Felicia was very surprised to find here), that makes me happy to be an American.  More than anything else, the events of this morning made me swell with patriotic pride, however simple the actual event were.

Perhaps it was this sudden buts of American pride, or perhaps it was because I am trying to blog everyday and still hadn’t created a picture today and it was already 9:30pm. When I drove past the completely lit, empty baseball field on my way home from the bank, I hopped out and shot a handful of frames.