It's eerily quiet bar the sounds of crickets in the distance. Tumble weeds blow down the street. A small dust willy-willy snakes it's way through the car-park.
A few people sit idly by as if watching for something. There is a slight tension in the air. The quiet is occasionally broken by the sound of George Thoroughgood as a car door opens and with a 'clunk' it is gone. The tension returns.
I follow the eyes of the idle spectators. I hadn't noticed before. At each end of the street stands a man next to Datsun Z.
A tall skinny man stand next to a red early 240Z. The beauty of the car is in stark contrast to the man. The sun is in his face and he squints. You can just make out the on the curl of his lip, the beginnings of a quip. The breeze coming from behind him carries the faint sounds of Barry Manalow!
At the other end of the street is a man standing next to a 260Z. The car is in pieces, but you can see it is a thoroughbred. The man is harder to make out, as the sun is directly behind him. He appears older than the other man. You can tell that the 70's were big for this man, but he's not over yet. He appears to hold a heavy retort in his hand.
I see another man with immaculate hair and an aura of peace about him. He is looking skyward in prayer. A young boy stand next to him with a video camera, which he pans up and down the street. The young boys hair is the antithesis of that of the man beside him.
Another man wearing a green T shirt with a military unit emblem on it, fidgets in his seat. He can't get comfortable. He keeps getting up for another beer.
Three men look on from behind a green Zed, with a black bonnet. One of them pays no attention to what is going on. He simply scratches at the paint on the guards. Another flicks his eyes from the damaged paint to the street. A tall skinny fellow stands with them and watches on mesmerised.
As if word has spread, the crowd begins to grow. The tension is infectious and as the anticipation builds so does the crowds unrest. They are becoming impatient.
The crowd is affecting the two adversaries in the street. Did one of them twitch then?
I join the others and watch and wait. What will happen? Who will move first? Who else will join the crowd?
Find out in next weeks episode of 'Karma Soap'.
