The Fuck Ya Ball

Strange occurrences abound in the world/hemisphere that I’ve chose to live in. But it strikes me that the strangest of all are not the things you see on the radio, news, or net. But those day to day happenings that make you wonder afterward just how messed up what you just witnessed was.

Tonight I was traveling from Kalamazoo to Sturgis - MI. I was taking 131, which is the main route that I normally take because of the shear amount of speed you can build up on straight stretches of road vs. old winding country roads. Actually, today I was enjoying the luxury of riding while my friend Dan drove. Anyway, our travel continues, and a van pulls up next to us. An old man appears to be driving, but hanging out of the windows are 3 or 4 young (13?) girls waving and flipping us off. We returned the favor of the finger and thought nothing more of it as we buzzed on by.

They pursued chase though, cruised on up with a new surprise in store for us. This time in addition to my favorite nominee for state bird, we were greeted with the ever so imaginative words "Fuck You" written on their palms in blue sharpie. We of course laughed our asses off at this. Then devised a very strange sort of plan.

We took a tennis ball that we had stolen from the WMU campus tennis courts as we were walking around that area some time ago. On this I wrote the almost identical catcall words "Fuck Ya". Kinda strange that I had a sharpie huh? Anyway, we pulled up next to the van and casually tossed them the obscene little fuzzy ball. They loved it to death. No more did we get the high soaring bird, but instead just waves and a thank you. One girl even said that she would never forget this, and seemed genuinely touched by the fact that we could throw her this blasphemes ball.

The attitude changed so quickly, but not by an act of kindness, or by an opposite reaction to what they were doing. But by a equal, or rudely surpassing act similar to the one they themselves were dishing out. Strange as it may be, people don’t want you to do nice to them if they are rude to you. It seems that they just want to see who can outdo the other at the rudeness game they are playing.

Maybe this applies only to 13 year old girls in vans on highway 131. Maybe I’m just full of bullshit. But it gives you something to think about.

Simon King

Tying for Middle Place - Simon King


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