Trust Fund Road Warriors

Here, in the artfully titled category, "Hackie Unplugged," I offer my biweekly notes on some aspect of the most recent Hackie column. Now you know.

"Hooters vs. The Ground Round" - aka, the story of 5/16/07 - raises an interesting issue about the craft of writing. (Well, I would find it interesting.) Some folks might imagine that fiction writing offers a true universe of choices - one can make up anything, right? - while, a non-fiction scribe like yours truly (I like "yours truly" because that's how Freyne refers to himself in his column, the "Inside Track") is bound by the truth of what occurred.

Well, that's true as far as it goes. In my experience, there is a nearly infinite number of ways to write about any actual occurrence. As I've written previously, it sometimes takes me months, if not years, to figure out how to write one of these Hackie stories. And, the issue comes down to:  what to choose to say about the subject fare. Choices, baby - choices. I guess that's what any form of art comes down to.

So, back to this most recent story. One aspect of these two young people which I decided not to address was their obvious financial means. From their dress and traveling habits, it was evident that this couple had dough, and not from jobs, either. I got the impression that they weren't exactly roughing it as they moved from city to city over the past few years. I have no judgment about moneyed people, I should mention; to me, it's all about what you do with the karma you're handed. I've met bank officers who are truly practicing the deepest compassion towards others, and hand-to-mouth street people who I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them. And, vice-versa.

Why did I not get into the money issue in this column? It wasn't about the heart of the story which, to me, was about finding your way to the geography that feels like home. The money these kids appeared to have was just not relevant to telling that story.