## Fast Car in The City ![[Fast Car.jpg|400]] [Author generated AI Image from Google Gemini] The sodium yellow streetlight starbursts through the windshield unexpectedly wake Art. Nicotine stained fingers rub sleep from his eyes as he uncomfortably adjusts his mostly sober body. Cool damp air soaking him like a blanket, it's time to move. The City is magical, the sunsets off The Bay, the street lights casting buildings into works of art. Communities from all walks of life, diversity like the nearby tide pools. It's everything he hoped for and dreamed of, just like the songs described. The first few days had been spellbinding, like so many other have experienced. Getting the keys from his flannel shirt chest pocket, he starts the engine. Grabbing the red shop towel from the passenger seat to wipe his foggy breath from the windows. He cracks the wing window for ventilation, as he mechanically lights a cigarette. Easing the clutch pedal out, Art pulls out of the parking spot. It's Tuesday, time to move before the street sweepers start. Today is going to be different, today is the first day at the convenience store. Art heard The City will eat you alive. Art is different. Art has a midwestern muleheaded mindset. Art is a survivor, Art left the taste of rock bottom yesterday. --- - **Song:** "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman (1988) - **Focus:** Write a 200-word story about a character yearning for a better life, capturing the song's themes of hope, escape, and the challenges of social mobility. - **Suggestion:** The character doesn't have to be in a car, but they should be trying to escape a situation or place that is holding them back.