It wasn't the first time I found myself in the trunk of a car. Like most high school underclassman, I devised ways to sneak off campus during lunch in order to eat outside with my best friend at the time. (Only seniors were able to eat off campus.) We'd walk to her car, mixed within the crowd of people. I'd enter her back seat which was already folded down for me, revealing the trunk. Once I was safely inside, she'd close it and drive off, giving a simple wave to the security guard checking her ID. At the first light I'd climb out and crawl next to her in the front seat. It always worked.
Only this time we weren't sneaking anywhere. As freshmen in college, John and I only knew one person who had a car on campus. One person who could take us to get groceries, toiletries, new releases on DVD. And so, Erin, our designated chauffeur, would cart around not just John and I, but four to five other friends as well. That's why we were in the trunk - there was only so much room in the back seat.
Being small, I always found myself either cramped in the trunk or lying, somewhat dangerously, over everyone's lap in the back seat. I'd get precariously close to the people I was lying on, but they never seemed to mind. On the contrary, one was my boyfriend at the time and he'd typically cradle my head. John, being both the smallest guy and the only homosexual one, chose the trunk. Being in close quarters with girls didn't phase him at all and we knew that he would never try to take advantage of us.
Piling out of the car, we'd rearrange ourselves and rustle through Publix or Walmart like we were savages who hadn't seen food in years. We were a veritable hurricane, leaving pushed shopping carts behind us. In truth, we were fun. The nights out, away from the dorm, were exciting. We'd try on ridiculous clothes, ride the tricycles in the toy area and reacquaint ourselves with the world outside of college life. We spent so much time on our dorm, in our cafeteria, in class that sometimes it was easy to forget that things happened outside of Florida State. That there were more important things than the burritos that made everyone throw up, or the teacher who quit for unknown reasons.
In the store I felt like part of a gang, like we all knew something everyone else didn't know. Like there, with my friends, we were a part of something bigger, better than Walmart, than shopping. Like we had a secret, a common bond.
The other day at work, three of my co-workers and I decided to go to IHOP for free pancake day. Still being relatively new to the company, I enjoy going to lunch with co-workers; it gives me a chance to get to know them out of business casual dress and marketing copy. As we approached the cars, Matt simply stated, "well, I guess we should take two cars."
Baffled, I inquired why.
"Well, only you and I have cars here right now and both of have small back seats."
At one point I had fit six people in my small, two door car. I was about to explain that to him when I realized I wasn't in college anymore. We didn't have to pile in, to squish in order to go somewhere five miles away. Maybe they didn't like to wrinkles their clothes in a small, child sized back seat. It wasn't what adults did.
As I drove the five miles with one co-worker in my passenger seat I thought about that cramped trunk, my legs curls in a ball and John, laughing, beside me, poking my side with his index finger until I punched him in the arm. We were uncomfortable, sure, but we didn't mind. I missed being that young.
Why can't we go back to days of adventure, where trips to grocery stores were exciting. Why do we have to grow up? And how do we make it stop?
11 comments:
Love this post but I have to ask, why did you have to sneak off campus in High School? Why did they check IDs and why did your friend have one but you didn't? I don't get it!
Ben - You're the best! Thank you for pointing that out - I just clarified it (and thanks for the compliment!!) Only seniors were able to eat off campus and I was only a lowly junior. Sigh!
Hi, Nice post! I'm 60 YO and have never gotten above 18, really. How? Laugh a lot, figured out how to work half-time all my working life, stayed thin enough to wear cool clothes, found ways to get out of myself and connect with different people, best of all- follow what you love, love, love. -- and laugh a lot :+)
Wow, I don't know if I could handle riding in a trunk like that. I was usually the chauffeur, so when we have to cram people in, we'd usually double people up (2 small people in the front) or have someone lay across everyone else. Also, we'd try to cram 4 in the backseat too.
My favorite, non-traditional spot in a car is in the bed of a pickup truck. I remember, during one of the shows I did in high school, one of my friends had a pickup truck and I'd get a ride home from him a lot. He said he'd give me a ride but I'd have to lie down in the bed but I jumped at the chance. I could look up at the stars- it was really fun! Definitely not the same as riding in a trunk though, haha
You were a junior and got to hang out with seniors?!!?
Dammit, you were cool. I was not.
I miss those days. Sometimes my friends and I over take a local store and become completely goofy and take fun pictures. It reminds that sometimes you just have to have to escape adulthood.
If you find out how to stop growing up please let me know!
Hahaha!! What an awesome way to go shopping! I agree, it's not nearly as exciting as it used to be, even with company. Something about making grocery runs to Wall Mart at 2 in the morning also made it more of an experience.
Can you imagine the awkwardness that might have ensued had your friend been pulled over during such a trip??
[Noise from trunk]
Officer: "What's that?"
Erin: "What's what?"
Officer: "...You got something in your trunk?"
Erin: "...Why, no. Of course not."
Officer: "Why don't we have a look?"
Erin: "Ehh..."
this post brought a smile to my face cause as a freshman in college i was the only one of my friends with a car the second semester and man did i cram a ton of people in my little nissan sentra. trunk and all.
This story would have been far more entertaining if it ended with your coworkers giving you weird looks as you stuffed yourself in the trunk. :)
P.S. I've been in the trunk before too... and only afterwards did I realize how freaking dangerous that was! What was I thinking! What if we were rear-ended? (See, now I'm a big old fun-sucker.)
I had that exact train of thought because my situation was exactly as yours in high school. Piling in now is so funny because it does feel like you are breaking the rules, when no one is looking over your shoulder to ensure you don't.
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