The D.A.R.E. Program and the Tweeker

At lunch today I had an urge for one of Safeway's delicious wrap sandwiches. As I approached the store, I noticed two twenty-something-shirt-and-ties setting up a table while thinking to myself, "ah man, what do they want?" One of them stops the set up process to tell me, "when you're done in there, we're gonna talk about the DARE program," to which I respond, "Oh no, no, no. We're not gonna talk about anything!" which felt really really good to say. I actually started laughing inside the Safeway, but then Catholic Guilt started to make me feel bad, like that was a rude thing to say. But then again, it was his wording that made me say it. He commanded me to talk to him, he was telling me what to do. Does the DARE program still exist? Well, if it does, it's not working. I found this out after work.

As I was leaving the parking lot, there was a great deal of student traffic as there always is after school. I needed to turn left into the long line of cars that patiently await their turn to exit the school. After I was ignored by a few cars, I was finally let in. Inside the car I saw a student, who was in the passenger seat, wave at me, while his older brother was driving. I thought this was a nice gesture and continued on my way, eventually reaching the street, then the stop light. The light turned green and I attempted to merge into the right lane, which eventually hits a freeway onramp. Just then a tweeker mobile (early 90s chevy cavalier) runs the red on the right and turns into my lane, causing me to swerve back to the left. I laid on the horn for a good four seconds and that's what set the tweeker into full tweeker mode. His long, pale, skinny arm shot out of the car and he gave me the finger. Swerving onto the onramp, he adjusted his rearview mirror, pushed the hair out of his face, adjusted his rearview again, tweeking about with quick abrupt motions.

I calmly followed him to the freeway and noticed that he was getting off at the next exit. I didn't want any tweeker trouble, so I kept on driving. But then, out of nowhere, comes the student and his older brother jamming down the freeway on the left, and then Nascar-ing their way to the right exit, just cutting off the tweeker! I couldn't help but cheer. I hope there was no trouble after that, but tomorrow I am going to have to thank that student.