Steeling a Mercedes-Benz 63 coup in Envigado Colombia

 My hands firmly gripping the steering wheel holding the donut. The round about I travel around and around. No destination, no goal, I hadnt even packed. The new car smell lingering in my nostruls. The esquisit sound system elegantly blasting salsa from Porto Rico threw its Boes. Everything you would expect from a high end luxsary sedan. The staple of success at $80,000. The  Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe sid around the round about with ease.  Weaving in and out of the stagnant traffic around me. As it was on that 4th of July 2020. I never would have imagined the perdicament I the found myself in. It was just that easy. 

I walked down the bulivard  un the middle of the day, leaving my hostel behind. I didnt have a plan. Sterling a car want on my agenda. It kind of just happened. I knew IT would start and it did. I has semen the Mercedes, for a moment a few days earlier, out on display along the bulivard, when I walked past it to check out the other cars in the show room.  The staff actualy shooing me off. Aparently my atire of flip flops, shorts and tanktop didnt scream the color green they were looking for. 

I has landed un Medellin two weeks earlier from Santa Marta. Over the past three and half month I had been beach bimming it accross Colombia, adivina in Cartagena from Miami before that.  On the road for about five years at this point, moving from country to country at my measure, Colombia being my 30th. After a month lounging around Palomino, resort style. Cold cheep beer, wéed, beautiful women in bikinis and sandy caribian baches as far as the eye could see. I was living the steam, acomplishing everything I had set out to do. absolutly nothing, early retirement.  A life without regret and I was nailing it. Truly living life to the fullest. Medellin was not on my list original. I hadnt heard of it before. My only reference was Norcos on Nerflix, Pablo Escobar style. 

As I strole along, my destination certain I casualy lift a large rock from the side of the road to my sholder and continue on my way. Passing lively resturants as I go. The patrons eating and socializin, living life, unaware of the That passes them by. I hadnt brought anything extra. Flipflops, shorts, t shirt, joint for the road and my California drivers license in pocket. No money or credit cards needed. It would just start I assumed. Passing threw the gatted comunities of Envigado I continue on my course. No mallace intent ahead just the soul obligation of answering the question driving me. The Mercedes on display front and center. As I aproche the glass wall of th dealership. The massive plate glass doors standing between me and my uncertain fate. Uncertain of the process, a noviace in this department, outside my relm of expertese. The simplest of solutions I had resolved by the pressence of the large rock on my shoulder. Midday as it was not a person in sight on a Monday afternoon. The normaly busy street vacant of movement as I observe my soroundings. A quick second look and the next instance the rock is flying threw the air. Inevidably as it impacts the plate glass door. Bouncing off with a loud bang. Unsecsefull with my first attempt I continúes the process bouncing this massive rock off the dealership plate glass doors again and again. Until one of the doors gives way, falls forward, shattering on impact with the glossy show room floor. The second door directly fallowing suite. My fate was sealed my cours of action certain.

The spectical visable to the passer by, ignored. The armed security unmoved from his post. As I stand at the entrence uninterupted. A leasure to my actions, I step inside. No alarms, no cops, no security and all the time in the world as it seamed.

Standing beside the prestine high performance machine, its windows rolled down. I take a moment. A subtile mitalic silver hiding the raw power under the hood only observed by the AMG badge of honor. The Mercedes-Benz 63 coup a beautiful machine of elegance and raw power. A sports car in suit and tie. Opening the drivers door I slide into the lether seats, my hands gripping the steering wheel, paddle shifters at my finger tips. The start button, the ignition, my pourpous at that moment. Extending my right index finger I press start. The sleeping beast roring to life, the 670 HP awaken from its slumber. Without a key I sat, uncertain of what comes next, the car idling waiting to be set free. The lack of security or alarms confirming my actions, my irational suspitions. Taking a moment to process my thoughts. Up to this point my actions were grounded by an irational drive of nessity without reason. In front of my path of excape an extreamly large truck. The only solution as I exit the superbly comfortable leather seats was to see if lightning strikes twice.

So as the plain clothed officer pressed his 38 revolver against my temple his other hand holding securly my shirt colar threw the drivers window. I again ponder my life decisions. I had inadvertly turned off the round about on to a one way street going the wrong way. A plain clothed officer had been conduction routine maintence on the local traffic cameras when he heard the call of a stolen Mercedes-Benz over the radio. As he couriously observed me going round and round the round about from his vantage point. When I turned down his turn off going in the wrong direction. Springing into action he steped in front of my path revolver drawn and pointed directly at me as I pulled to a stop in front of him. Bringing everything to a halt as observers in there cars watch the sceen unfold in front of them. I had no intention of running. It was more self preservation than anything else. As now he was standing beside me in an atempt to extract me from the car. His pistol pressed against my head as he demanded I exit the vehicle in Spanish. With a move of reflex my right hand quickly clasping around the revolver covering the hammer, my other triggering first gear as I step on the gas. The power pulling us a partas he releases his grip on the gun as I pull away, tossing it on the seat next to me. The officer loosing his footing and grip, tumbles away.

I couldnt tell you why. It was an irational intuition that drove me. Thoughts and actions without remorce or hesitation, void of fear. I had awaken that beautiful clear day in Envigado. Wondered to a local resturant around the corner for breakfast. Eggs benidict, baccon, assparigus with coffiee and a shot of Balies to start the day right. Headding back to my hostel, I wondered up stairs to the open patio to lay in a hammock with other travilers, smoke a joint and pratice playing the brand new guitar I had just purchased a few days eairlier. As noon aproched the decision was made. Standing up, putting one foot in front of the other, I was going to start that car because I new it would.

Sensation of life in the moment. The lack of security and alarms confirming my actions, my suspitions. I take a moment a next thought. Up to this point my actions were led by an internal drive of nessity without reason. In front of my path of exit a very large truck. The only solution as I exit the superbly comfortable leather seats is to see if lightning strikes twice. The raised heavy duty beast a hinderance by only a couple of inches was preventing my departure. A thought that had just occured to me as I climb the side steps. Opening the wall of a door and taking my seat in the captins chair. A simple button of "Yes or No" wating to be pushed. The ingine turrning over, the beast comes to life. Shifting into reverse the beeps indicating my direction of choice, the backup camera navigating my course, clearing my path. 

As I coutiously pull past the imovable object that once stood in my path, threw the entry way, over the top the glass, crackling under the weight and preasure of the wide tires, making a path ahead, destination unknown. Pulling onto the main road from the dealership parking lot I take in the day, windows rolled down, the radio a blend of salsa and jazz, a sureal moment in a day of unintentional insanity. My foot appling the preasure, fingers triggering the shift in movement, the rythem of the mood passing threw me. Unleashing the insanity that brought me this far.