Dues and Exemptions

Have I ever mentioned that Oliver works for a bank? One of those big ones, on that street that's been having so much trouble lately? He doesn't work for one of those banks, you know, the ones that have been catching fire all over the news, but still. It's a little scary. Especially since he's too new to the U.S. workforce to qualify for unemployment, and his insurance is currently covering us both. Not that there's any immediate danger. In fact, there doesn't seem to be. But still. It's still a bank.

My life so far has been an incredible run of good luck. Everyone in my immediate family has always been healthy and stable. I've never had to worry about food or shelter, and I have never come up against some horrible truth that proved to me that life is not what I was led to believe it would be. With all the tragedies and crippling disappointments in the world, how can I be slotted for effortless existence? I can't be. It just can't be possible. Everyone has to pay their share of the dues, right? Is this economic crisis my time to open up the wallet and pay up what I owe?

I hope this doesn't sound too dark. I'm not crying myself to sleep or sewing dresses out of flour sacks. I'm just thinking.

When I lived in Chicago, I had a car. It was a dusty blue Yaris, and I parked it every day after work on Montrose. Montrose was a couple blocks from my apartment on Buena, and unlike lovely, leafy Buena (pictured above), it was a little gritty. It was the border line of a tougher neighborood, and I generally tried to avoid it after dark. One morning I came out to my car and noticed a large scratch. To be more accurate, it was a key mark. My car had been keyed, and a three-foot line was etched along the driver's side. Once the anger passed, I was able to see the vandalism in a more symbolic light. Let's say Montrose is the world, and Buena and the Yaris are my life. The world can be nasty; I've seen enough CNN to know that. So far, I've managed to spend my days on Buena. If I park on Montrose though, and I'm a part of Montrose, is it reasonable to expect my car to remain untouched? There are a lot of keys out there, and slim jims and people who know how to hotwire Toyotas. Again, I hope I don't sound too grim. I'm just wondering.