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Picture of the Day
 Saturday
November 4, 2023
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<<< back at the scene, a newly arrived pickup with
flatbed trailer was parked in the turnout, a sturdy man
taking pictures and i figured he was here to tow it away
and was assessing how to get it out. he was clean cut
and well groomed, not a hair out of place, with bomber
jacket and assertive manner that got me thinking he
might be a crash investigator, possibly a cop, impression
reinforced when he skipped the preliminaries and asked
what we'd seen. i told him i'd noticed them passing our
house earlier. "were they speeding?" "oh yeah, easily
double the limit." i immediately regretted it and said, "i
feel like a snitch. why do you ask?" he said not to worry,
he needed to know the truth. he was the driver's father
and the kid, 19, had told him he hadn't been speeding,
but he suspected different because he'd seen pictures on
instagram of him drifting through curves here a few weeks prior. he'd been working on the car three years and had just put in a new motor. why didn't he just take it to a track?
"how is he?"

"he's ok but his passenger took a life flight to harbor view. unresponsive." he reflected, then added, "i wrapped my car around a tree when i was his age and told him not to do the same." as if on cue, an old codger sidled up and wisecracked, "well, he didn't--not exactly." we all sort of nodded, thinking the same thing. turns out he was the property owner, concerned about what dragging the car out might do to the hillside vegetation whose roots help hold the slope together.

all in all, the dad took it ok. his son lives with the boy's mother and step-father and he didn't even know who these new friends of his were. we all agreed it was a shame. he thanked us and we went our separate ways.

in terms of karmic justice, this
seemed more than was called for.

i hope the other kid is ok.