When we were in high school, we would frequently discuss what the future would be like. Of course there would be flying cars, nearly everyone agreed on that point. “The government will invade our privacy. There will be mind control, etc. etc. etc.” We dreamed of flying cars, but had nightmares about the government.
There needed to be some indicator, one specific incident that would tell us the future had arrived. This was mine, “When you hear 'Stairway to Heaven' converted to muzak and played in the supermarket, that will be the future.” I came up with that indicator in 1972.The future arrived in 1977.
“The future is here!” I yelled in the store at that time. People looked at me strangely. Considering my long hair and beard, they probably thought I was stoned. I wasn't. (At least, not just then I wasn't.)
So that was that. Darn, the future was here, and no flying cars. The next 34 years, I twiddled my thumbs waiting for that technology. 2011 didn't exactly give me a flying car, but it was close. This Easter, I took a road trip to see my sister and my brother. The driver was me. My wife usually did the driving. She is now my ex-wife. So she wasn't in the picture this time. I was doing this trip solo, or so I told myself.
The Subaru is the first car that I have ever had that has cruise control. The Subaru, also unlike my other cars, has a CD player and a fairly good radio. Alone with AAA maps from the computer, a CD player and a loud radio, I started on my trip.
It was good at first. Listening to music, driving with my fingers and dancing with my feet. (Thanks to cruise control) 'Alone' is a space I am not accustomed to being in. Halfway to my sister's house, the directions started getting more difficult to follow.
“How am I going to do this alone?”
I picked up three hitchhikers. Not strangers and by no means navigators. They were three imaginary friends: Dorothy, Karlee, and Muse. Why those three women? Any of my male friends would have been just as concerned as I was about.' getting there' These three imaginary friends (that really do exist in flesh and blood) would be more concerned about, 'going there'. For these three: Dorothy, Karlee and Muse, the trip is more important than the destination.
Carly was invited aboard for her endless salty dog stories. I loved the way this woman could talk for hours. Dorothy was there for her caustic, outrageous humor, and Muse:Department of Esoteric Commentary and Psychological Evaluation.
Maybe the future is all about cheating and violating certain standards. My feet weren't enslaved by the petals on the floor. There was music and dancing inside of the car. And the really big cheat about my future: once you have real friends, no matter if they're in front of you are not, they can always be with you when you need them.
I continued to struggle with the computer map instructions, but I had friends, imaginary 'real' friends that laughed at me and with me. The Subaru really wouldn't have been big enough to fit all four of us comfortably. However, considering the size of my heart these days, I could have carried a busload of imaginary 'real' friends from the past and present, in that little four-cylinder flying car.
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