If I Had a Vanity Plate?: JETSTRM

Okay...Finally...after 12 years, I bought a new car. I sold my 1995 Honda Civic hatchback (nicknamed "the munchkin" by Carl) with 160K miles on it, and still getting 40 miles/gallon, to a mellow dude in Burlington. I splurged a bit on the new ride, a 2004 Honda Civic Si. It was more then I wanted to spend. But there was less then 10K miles on it, had all the bells and whistles (AC, CD player, sunroof, power everything), and it is F-A-S-T.


I love it. It moves. Soon, the jokes started flying from my friends,I think as a result of envy after they got a ride in it, or drove it. My old housemate commented, "Worn out the tires yet? Doing the slide?" and another friend said, "No, I couldn't own that car...it'd get me into trouble."

I was driving to see Ann. She lives in Winooski. After the exit off of I-89, the speed limit immediately drops to 25 m.p.h. My last speeding ticket in the past 20 years was issued by one of Winooski's finest. Winooski is going through a revitalization. They've added some big buildings and a rotary.

I was cruising into the downtown section when I noticed a policeman along side the road. He did one of those 'point and pull over motions'. However, I wasn't EXACTLY sure he was pointing at me. I continued on, glancing at my speedometer (40 m.p.h.), and in my rear view mirror (nothing...except a bedding truck), as I passed him. The policeman ran to his car. Hmmmm, maybe he was pointing at me.

I didn't slow down and entered the rotary without having to pause. Ann's street shoots off of the lower part of the rotary. The street is narrow, with businesses on either side, then widens as it passes parking lots and two large apartment/condo projects near the river. As I turned onto her street, I saw the cruiser, lights flashing, about to enter rotary. Once past the first stop sign, I sped up.

Ann lives in the smaller building a half mile from the rotary. The parking lot for her building is well-hidden down a short hill. After driving a quarter mile, I looked in my rear view mirror again. The cop car had not yet made it to her street, possibly getting hung up by rotary traffic. I floored it, deftly swung down the hill, into a parking spot and quickly hopped out of my car. No cop car. I walked swiftly to the entrance to the condo, not noticing Ann who had pulled into her parking spot minutes before me. "What's going on?" she questioned. She wondered why I was walking (swiftly) right past her car. I was on an escape mission. Safely inside, I told her the story.

I'm on the lamb, but I ain't no sheep.