The following is a story I wrote a couple of years back on another forum: http://www.livejournal.com/community/st ... 11214.html
My Friend Manny Tranny
About a week ago I heard a lot of smack talk about my good friend Manny Tranny (formally known as Manual Transmission). I was disturbed by the trash talk, but figured it didn't much matter what other people thought (felt is a more precise term) of him. I kept thinking about the comments and how unjust they were. How can people base such bold judgments on nothing but hearsay and bad first impressions? It wasn't like people were saying in what ways Manny is no good; they were just saying he sucked. I've gotta admit, it took me a while to understand Manny and where he was coming from, and I had a not-so-good impression of him but, first of all, I was looking at all the negative aspects of his personality and character in not thinking much of him. Truth be told, I didn't know how much I could have learned about Manny just by listening to him. Lack of communication is a killer. Once I started listening to him, he started letting me know what he was all about. It's not rocket science. Even the time we were going through Queens and he kept freaking out whenever I didn't warn him I was slowing down and we nearly hit the car in front of us, he calmed down once I started listening to him and telling him I had to stop short. Our conversations became more peaceful over time. Instead of talking about planes crashing into buildings and machine guns getting into the wrong hands, we were talking about going on Sunday drives to Wilcox Park with the family back in the day and enjoying the scenery along the F.D.R. Drive. Manny still is a sensitive fellow. He doesn't like to be brushed off or taken advantage of. He has his own way of letting me know I've crossed the line. I try not to test him now that I know his pet peeves, but sometimes temptation gets the best of me. This one time I was coming up on a left turn and knew I had to gun it to make it through before the light turned. Once I was about to turn I realized I had to slow down some more. Once again, I didn't give Manny enough notice. He clenched the "Oh shit! handle" with all he had, frightened he was gonna fly out the window.
"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna take that corner fast? I would have been able to enjoy it if you'd let me know what you had up your sleeve!"
On the next turn, I let him know I was gonna fly through the corner. He looked forward and soon a huge grin came across his face. This one other time, I was getting fed up with Manny. After stopping at the post office, we had to head back up the hill to get back home. Manny just didn't wanna go up the hill with me, and I couldn't very well just ditch him. He kept trying to pull me back down that hill. I asked him why he didn't want to go up the hill, and he told me he didn't have enough energy to make it. I thought about it for a second, and then reached into my bag and pulled out an apple. At each intersection on the hill I gave him an apple to chomp on. This was enough to keep manny from falling backward, so I didn't have to hold on to him all the way up. Manny thanked me for listening to him.
"Rob, You sure know how to make me happy," said Manny once we had reached the threshold.
One Sunday afternoon, Manny took me to his brother Slushy's house. Slushy was the younger of the two brothers, but had been through just as much hardship. Manny had told me how spoiled his brother was, getting too much affection from the parents and other family members. I sat down with Slushy to ask him about his life. First I asked him about what it was like to not have to work. Let's just say he was NOT happy with that question.
"I work my ass off to feed my family," cried Slushy, "No one ever appreciates how nice I am to my wife; Manny treated his wife like horse manure and still has done better than me in life. Just because I don't complain doesn't mean I don't suffer."
I truly had no idea Slushy was as hardworking as his brother.
I went out for a ride with Slushy. Upon looking at my watch, I realized we were due to be back for coffee and dessert, so I raced home. I bolted into turns and slammed on the brakes at the last minute, and Slushy didn't say a word. Man, it is true he is too nice. As I turned into Slushy's neighborhood, I tested out the brakes at the last minute procedure again, but this time my judgment would take its toll. The rear wheels lifted from the macadam as the front dove into a telephone pole.
"Slushy, how come you didn't warn me how sharp this turn was gonna be?!" I screamed.
"It's up to you to control the car, my friend," replied Slushy.
"But, how come Manny helps me out with my driving, letting me know what to do?" I retorted.
"Manny's a virtuous man, Rob, and he has a lot more driving experience than I do; I guess you could say he's a natural."
"Then how come everyone flocks to you and runs away from him?"
"Well, I'm really not that hard to please. I take the abuse, but I have gotta say Manny is still strong as an ox. I guess people don't like him since he can be so hard to get along with."
"But, I get along with him. All I do is listen to him and respect his feelings, and he respects me back," I respond.
"Thing is, a lot of people aren't patient with him and give up when he doesn't go along with them. If I weren't so nice and soft, I'm sure I'd lose a lot of friends. They don't like it when Manny questions their behavior."
The Story of My Friend Manny Tranny
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potownrob
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The Story of My Friend Manny Tranny
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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Cruel Night
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littleman09z
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