Three Words

Here are three more random words and something I whipped up about them.

"You need to watch out for grown adult that wear animal print as part of their everyday outfits." Jefferson (Do not call him Jeff) said this while shuffling out another Maverick from his pack. I lit it for him using the Bic I stole from the gas station, a simple blue one. 

"Unless it's supposed to be funny or they are planning to get lucky, any one that wears tiger print or zebra stripes or faux fur as their everyday is bad news"

"Peg Bundy wore animal print." I said. Jefferson was about two years older than me and I remember him saying he liked Modern Family so I think he'll get the reference. 

"Yeah, that is a TV character. You know anyone who wears animal print everyday?"

I could not. I did seem a a choice that was quite intentional. You can throw one a pair of jeans and maybe look nice but animal print, that says something. 

"I once dated a girl, " I said. "That the first time we...you know...she had tiger print underwear on. That was something."

Jefferson let the smoke from his cigarette linger in the cab of the truck and fiddled with the vent knows on the air conditioner. "You think she did that on purpose?"

I looked away beacuse I could feel myself get red. Do 37 year olds blush? Should they. I wanted to say that yes it was possible she took one look at me and decided that yes, these were the ones. But, I had to be honest. "No, I think it was random."

"Was she a hard body?"

"It was in college. I liked her. I guess, yes"

Jefferson finished his smoke and smashed the butt into his gloved hand. He then jumbled the butt and ashes into his pocket and fiddled more with the blowers. 

"Good for you. What are other adults we should avoid? Children are exempt as they know no better."

I look out the trucky cab and it's an empty Menards parking lot. We are waiting for it to open. "People whose whole personality is sports betting!"

Jefferson chuckles. "Sportsball"

"People really into World War 2 battles!"

He nods. "I've always been leery of guys that tuck their t-shirts in."

That was a sing of old heads at work. Why they tuckers their t-shirts in was lost on me. The custodian in my high school did that. I remember his grey t-shirt tucked into stiff blue Wrangler jeans and black Doc Marten boots. He was very odd and, once, in a rare bit of sincerity our senior year homeroom teacher, Mrs Alvarez, mumbled that "The sports page doesn't read itself" when asked where wad Mr. Masato.

"Guys will say it's to show respect," I say hald heartedly. "Watch out and they'll tuck in zebra strip t shirts pretty soon."

This got a decent laugh and became part of repertoire as we waited every morning for the stores to open.