you get three chances

Maniac Mike was also telling me about three times he got shot at, twice with a shotgun, once with a pistol.
when he was in high school, he and a few kids had dirtbikes. MM would take his dirtbike and rut up the local golf course. he's trench it up, do doughnuts on the putting green. sometimes, the old man who owned the golf course would be out there with a shotgun, and sometimes, he fired it. he never figured out who was wrecking his course. one day, the old owner hanged himself in his golf cart barn.

again, in highschool, MM and some friends robbed a milk truck. they stole eggs, milk and big wheels of cheese. as they were scattering to the four winds, the milkman got out his shotgun and began firing! he fired in a neighborhood, during the day, at any kid that was moving. i'm telling you, Ohioans are fucked up. anyway, since they couldn't possibly eat all that they had stolen, they went down to the Salvation Army food pantry and gave them most of the stuff. when i asked MM WHY IN GOD'S NAME he would wreck up a golf course or steal from a milkman, he said it was an "us vs them" kind of thing. the adults vs the kids/society vs the punks. whatever. it's still stealing to me.

the third time he got shot at was in a bar in the black section of town. MM lived there for awhile and had black friends and they went to the bar...an all black bar. one of the guys there took offense to having a white punk in the bar. words were exchanged and the angry dude started shooting. MM dived under a table and then somehow scooted out with his friends. i didn't ask him if he ever went back.

and, although MM has owned several guns over the years (guns ar BAD kids. very, very bad!) he has never shot one at anyone. pointed, yes, but has not pulled the trigger. he spent a lot of time robbing drug dealer's. that was his 'thing'.

now, apparently, older and wiser, his 'thing' is Nascar and goats. remember people...Goats NOT guns!