On the tracks I can slip through town unnoticed. I used to walk the highways. Not the interstate, that will get you killed, but the state and county roads. The problem with that was that the cops were always hassling me. I could do without police involvement. They were all starched uniforms, goofy hats and the same old we-don’t-take-kindly-to-strangers-in-these-parts attitude. They’re even worse than the bulls. The cops will cuff you and rough you up and throw you in jail just for grins. On the rails, I’m a ghost. People are too busy rushing around in their cars with mini-windshield wipers on their headlights and DVD players in the backseat to notice me. All they care about is soccer practice and departmental meetings. No one ever looks at what’s going on just on the periphery.
|