Paddle Faster, I Hear Banjos
I was in kind of a hurry the other day because I was late for band practice and I still had to make a stop at the big hardware store up north to pick up a pressure regulator for a well pump that was giving us trouble. I had my banjo in the cab of the truck and I figured if I hurried up, I could get my plumbing part quick and only be late by a quarter of an hour. Right.
Anyway, I got inside and was surprised how many options I had for making the wrong choice, meaning … course I was going to make the wrong choice. About the fifth package I was reading, it hit me I forgot to lock the truck. And my banjo was sitting there in full view. I might be the only one, but I love that banjo. I’ve had it for 35 years and I’ve rebuilt it multiple times and even though I’ve built homemade ones that are pretty nice, this is the one I play at concerts. And now I’ve left it sitting in my truck with the doors unlocked.
I finally grabbed a regulator, any regulator, and figured take a chance, you might get lucky, and headed for the register. I tried to see my truck out in the lot, but it was cut off from view. Course, I had to get behind the guy who had a coupon and couldn’t find his credit card, who searched awhile, then said he’d pay cash, but didn’t have enuff, then finally found his card but had to argue about the price of some do-dad he thought should’ve been 10 cents less and I’m going half crazy worrying about my banjo out there up for grabs for anyone walking by who sees it sitting there on the seat. I’m breaking out in hives. I offer to give him the damn ten cents and in return I get a glare from this yahoo who’s digging into his wallet for the receipt to doublecheck and finally I can’t stand it one second longer so I ditch the pressure regulator on the counter and head for my truck.
I’m nervous now, heart beating like a rabbit, blood pressure singing in my ears when I get up to the truck and see my worst fears realized. There, sitting on the seat in the unlocked cab of the truck, was a second banjo.
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