Chapter 410. We Encounter a Strange Spaced-out Girl Stranded on the Highway. (3/10)
I removed the cap on my gas tank and pushed the tube I received from Dawn to the bottom. She sucked on the other end of the tube pulling some of the gasoline into it then stuffed it inside the jerrycan.
“How old are the two of you?”
“We’re 16. What about you?”
“Huh? I’m… 18, I just finished high school. But... you’re both only 16 and you’re traveling across the country alone together?”
“Yeah. We’ve got a week and a few days before we’ve got to head back.”
“Wait, where have you two been sleeping exactly?”
“We’ve been camping out over the last four days. It’s been quite refreshing, the weather hasn’t been bad at all.”
“It sounds… pretty fun.”
“It is.”
“But isn’t the city more interesting and fun?”
“Hmm… well, it depends. Sure there are fun things to do in the city. But if you’re always stuck in the city, it gets stale pretty fast. When you first start living in a city it can be nice, but that changes quickly.”
“How does it change?”
“Hmm… well work I guess. It can be very repetitive and unrewarding. In the city, work is all about efficiency, it’s very draining and you can’t really go at your own pace like you would when you’re outside of the city. The cost of living in a city is quite high and minimum wage typically isn’t going to cut it. Getting a decent job is really tough. Even with a good education in a big city, you’re not guaranteed a decent job.”
I completely agreed with that sentiment.
“But isn’t it more exciting in big cities? You can meet so many different people.”
“City life really isn’t all that it’s hyped up to be. The sorts of relationships and connections you make tend to be much shallower and superficial. Everyone’s online connecting through the internet these days and busy doing their own thing. You don’t get to see people in person very much because of it.”
“No way…” She looked pretty down as she muttered to herself. It seemed her ideal vision of what life in big cities was like had been crushed all in one go by Rosa.
When Rosa realized she’d blabbed too much she backtracked and said, “Though big cities may have drawbacks, they’re not all bad. I just wouldn’t recommend living or working in a big city. Commuting to one and spending a few days every now and then throughout the month is a better option. That way you can enjoy the best of both worlds.”
“There’s nothing good out here in the boonies.”
While the two of them conversed about life inside and outside the city, the gasoline flowed into the jerrycan under the influence of gravity. This process worked as the fluid would move from a state of high potential energy to a lower one. When the gasoline level had fallen by about half, I removed the tube.
“You live here so you take the good things about life outside the city for granted.”
“Reception sucks out here.”
“Well, that is definitely a downside. But the internet in the city can be pretty intermittent and unreliable too if there is too much traffic.”
“Charging your phone is a hassle if you forget your charger at home. You can get stranded and unable to call for help if your phone dies and you forget it.”
“Uh… is that what happened to you?”
“Yeah.”
Rosa let out an awkward laugh, “Haha… I see.”
“It takes hours to get things you need. A lot of mail services don’t deliver things to you. You’ve got to go all the way to the local post office if you want to pick up your mail or delivered items which can take an hour or more.”
“Traffic in big cities during rush hour can have you inching forward like a snail for hours on end. Getting to work on time can be a nightmare.”
“Oh yeah? When something breaks, if you can’t fix it, you’re shit out of luck for days or weeks without a technician out here. I bet you’re able to get someone to come out at any time to fix your stuff.”
“Well… I’ll give you that, usually you can get things done the next day.”
“Out here you end up sweaty, smelling like manure every day, unlike city girls who always smell good like flowers using perfume and guys who smell of real nice cologne.”
“Smelling like that is expensive and it’s not like people want to smell like that all the time. If you don’t smell good when you’re jam-packed into a tiny little office with a bunch of people, the place would smell like crap every day. Perspiration is a big problem especially when you’re in a confined space all day every day. People would fall ill from the bad odor since you don’t get much fresh air when working in those cramped offices. Also, when you go outside out here it smells like nature rather than the garbage dumpsters you smell in the less than ideal parts of the city.”
“Oh yeah? Well… Well… uh… there’s no public transportation like buses, subways, or taxis all the way out here. It’s much easier to get around in the city. Yuh don’t have to deal with that major inconvenience.”
“Public transit is a breeding ground for disease and bacteria. They’re unsanitary. It’s very easy to get sick when riding public transit. They’re also extremely cramped, and as a girl, you run the risk of getting molested by creeps using how packed they are as a cover to do as they please and feel you up.”
“Ugh. Your job options and future prospects are extremely limited.”
“But it’s still easier to find a job despite there being fewer of them. The jobs out here might also be harder, but they’re much more rewarding and fulfilling.” Rosa countered her yet again.
“You don’t get to pick and choose where you want to live the way you do in a city.”
“But if you rent, the landlord gets to dictate everything you can or can’t do. Though you have more options available to choose from, getting the place is by no means easy either. The competition is fierce in the city. You need references, people who will vouch for you, etc. The prices are also absurdly jacked up through the roof because of the high demand for housing accommodations.”
“Trying to actually buy a home is ridiculously difficult in the city. Due to the overinflated housing market, getting approved for a mortgage with a decent interest rate is becoming more and more difficult as time goes on in the city. Prices are so high for housing that it’d take your entire life or more to pay off your mortgage assuming you even can get approved for one.”
“So though you have fewer options where to live outside the city, it’s actually easier to get one of those low in supply places due to the significantly lower prices and demand for them. You can actually get something that is reasonably priced that you could conceivably pay off while you’re still alive when living out here.” Rosa was merciless in crushing Dawn’s idealized view of city life.
“Since everyone knows everyone out here, if you have a falling out with friends or the community you become an outcast or misfit. Good luck finding someone else to be friends with. New friends aren’t easy to find at all unlike in the city where there’s someone new at every turn.”
“Making friends in the city isn’t easy at all. Everyone keeps to themselves and most people are too busy working to death trying to pay the high costs associated with living in the city. How are you supposed to befriend people and make any sort of meaningful relationship when they’re always keeping to themselves?”
“What about food? In the city, there are so many different things yuh can eat. Pizza, burgers, french fries, sushi, Chinese food, all sorts of foods from across the world. Anything yuh can think of, yuh can get. Yuh can even get stuff in the middle of the night if yuh want. If yuh wake up hungry in the middle of the night out here, your only option is to starve yourself until morning or make something yourself. Yuh can’t just drive to a fast-food restaurant like yuh could in the city.”
“So what? Those foods you can get your hands on so easily in the city are extremely unhealthy and bad for you. People in the city end up eating nothing but processed garbage, get fat, and develop negative health conditions because of that sort of lifestyle. They don’t have the time to cook something that’s actually good for them.”
“Then… then… what about… uh… the city is always bustling and filled with life. Yuh don’t get that out here.”
“Noise pollution in the city sucks. In the middle of the night, you’ll get woken up by a random car alarm going off or some crazy crackpots getting into a fight. Sometimes you hear gunshots in the middle of the night too. Crime is way higher and a big problem in the city. Out here you have peace and quiet and don’t have to deal with any of that. You may have wild animals to deal with instead, but at least they don’t have guns to shoot you with. You’ve also got a great scenic view the second you wake up in the morning. People living in the city travel hours just to see and take in the view out here.”
Chapter 410. We Encounter a Strange Spaced-out Girl Stranded on the Highway. (3/10)
I removed the cap on my gas tank and pushed the tube I received from Dawn to the bottom. She sucked on the other end of the tube pulling some of the gasoline into it then stuffed it inside the jerrycan.
“How old are the two of you?”
“We’re 16. What about you?”
“Huh? I’m… 18, I just finished high school. But... you’re both only 16 and you’re traveling across the country alone together?”
“Yeah. We’ve got a week and a few days before we’ve got to head back.”
“Wait, where have you two been sleeping exactly?”
“We’ve been camping out over the last four days. It’s been quite refreshing, the weather hasn’t been bad at all.”
“It sounds… pretty fun.”
“It is.”
“But isn’t the city more interesting and fun?”
“Hmm… well, it depends. Sure there are fun things to do in the city. But if you’re always stuck in the city, it gets stale pretty fast. When you first start living in a city it can be nice, but that changes quickly.”
“How does it change?”
“Hmm… well work I guess. It can be very repetitive and unrewarding. In the city, work is all about efficiency, it’s very draining and you can’t really go at your own pace like you would when you’re outside of the city. The cost of living in a city is quite high and minimum wage typically isn’t going to cut it. Getting a decent job is really tough. Even with a good education in a big city, you’re not guaranteed a decent job.”
I completely agreed with that sentiment.
“But isn’t it more exciting in big cities? You can meet so many different people.”
“City life really isn’t all that it’s hyped up to be. The sorts of relationships and connections you make tend to be much shallower and superficial. Everyone’s online connecting through the internet these days and busy doing their own thing. You don’t get to see people in person very much because of it.”
“No way…” She looked pretty down as she muttered to herself. It seemed her ideal vision of what life in big cities was like had been crushed all in one go by Rosa.
When Rosa realized she’d blabbed too much she backtracked and said, “Though big cities may have drawbacks, they’re not all bad. I just wouldn’t recommend living or working in a big city. Commuting to one and spending a few days every now and then throughout the month is a better option. That way you can enjoy the best of both worlds.”
“There’s nothing good out here in the boonies.”
While the two of them conversed about life inside and outside the city, the gasoline flowed into the jerrycan under the influence of gravity. This process worked as the fluid would move from a state of high potential energy to a lower one. When the gasoline level had fallen by about half, I removed the tube.
“You live here so you take the good things about life outside the city for granted.”
“Reception sucks out here.”
“Well, that is definitely a downside. But the internet in the city can be pretty intermittent and unreliable too if there is too much traffic.”
“Charging your phone is a hassle if you forget your charger at home. You can get stranded and unable to call for help if your phone dies and you forget it.”
“Uh… is that what happened to you?”
“Yeah.”
Rosa let out an awkward laugh, “Haha… I see.”
“It takes hours to get things you need. A lot of mail services don’t deliver things to you. You’ve got to go all the way to the local post office if you want to pick up your mail or delivered items which can take an hour or more.”
“Traffic in big cities during rush hour can have you inching forward like a snail for hours on end. Getting to work on time can be a nightmare.”
“Oh yeah? When something breaks, if you can’t fix it, you’re shit out of luck for days or weeks without a technician out here. I bet you’re able to get someone to come out at any time to fix your stuff.”
“Well… I’ll give you that, usually you can get things done the next day.”
“Out here you end up sweaty, smelling like manure every day, unlike city girls who always smell good like flowers using perfume and guys who smell of real nice cologne.”
“Smelling like that is expensive and it’s not like people want to smell like that all the time. If you don’t smell good when you’re jam-packed into a tiny little office with a bunch of people, the place would smell like crap every day. Perspiration is a big problem especially when you’re in a confined space all day every day. People would fall ill from the bad odor since you don’t get much fresh air when working in those cramped offices. Also, when you go outside out here it smells like nature rather than the garbage dumpsters you smell in the less than ideal parts of the city.”
“Oh yeah? Well… Well… uh… there’s no public transportation like buses, subways, or taxis all the way out here. It’s much easier to get around in the city. Yuh don’t have to deal with that major inconvenience.”
“Public transit is a breeding ground for disease and bacteria. They’re unsanitary. It’s very easy to get sick when riding public transit. They’re also extremely cramped, and as a girl, you run the risk of getting molested by creeps using how packed they are as a cover to do as they please and feel you up.”
“Ugh. Your job options and future prospects are extremely limited.”
“But it’s still easier to find a job despite there being fewer of them. The jobs out here might also be harder, but they’re much more rewarding and fulfilling.” Rosa countered her yet again.
“You don’t get to pick and choose where you want to live the way you do in a city.”
“But if you rent, the landlord gets to dictate everything you can or can’t do. Though you have more options available to choose from, getting the place is by no means easy either. The competition is fierce in the city. You need references, people who will vouch for you, etc. The prices are also absurdly jacked up through the roof because of the high demand for housing accommodations.”
“Trying to actually buy a home is ridiculously difficult in the city. Due to the overinflated housing market, getting approved for a mortgage with a decent interest rate is becoming more and more difficult as time goes on in the city. Prices are so high for housing that it’d take your entire life or more to pay off your mortgage assuming you even can get approved for one.”
“So though you have fewer options where to live outside the city, it’s actually easier to get one of those low in supply places due to the significantly lower prices and demand for them. You can actually get something that is reasonably priced that you could conceivably pay off while you’re still alive when living out here.” Rosa was merciless in crushing Dawn’s idealized view of city life.
“Since everyone knows everyone out here, if you have a falling out with friends or the community you become an outcast or misfit. Good luck finding someone else to be friends with. New friends aren’t easy to find at all unlike in the city where there’s someone new at every turn.”
“Making friends in the city isn’t easy at all. Everyone keeps to themselves and most people are too busy working to death trying to pay the high costs associated with living in the city. How are you supposed to befriend people and make any sort of meaningful relationship when they’re always keeping to themselves?”
“What about food? In the city, there are so many different things yuh can eat. Pizza, burgers, french fries, sushi, Chinese food, all sorts of foods from across the world. Anything yuh can think of, yuh can get. Yuh can even get stuff in the middle of the night if yuh want. If yuh wake up hungry in the middle of the night out here, your only option is to starve yourself until morning or make something yourself. Yuh can’t just drive to a fast-food restaurant like yuh could in the city.”
“So what? Those foods you can get your hands on so easily in the city are extremely unhealthy and bad for you. People in the city end up eating nothing but processed garbage, get fat, and develop negative health conditions because of that sort of lifestyle. They don’t have the time to cook something that’s actually good for them.”
“Then… then… what about… uh… the city is always bustling and filled with life. Yuh don’t get that out here.”
“Noise pollution in the city sucks. In the middle of the night, you’ll get woken up by a random car alarm going off or some crazy crackpots getting into a fight. Sometimes you hear gunshots in the middle of the night too. Crime is way higher and a big problem in the city. Out here you have peace and quiet and don’t have to deal with any of that. You may have wild animals to deal with instead, but at least they don’t have guns to shoot you with. You’ve also got a great scenic view the second you wake up in the morning. People living in the city travel hours just to see and take in the view out here.”
