Two teens in a mini van wanted to race me and my BMW...and I let them "win."

It was years ago, but I still laugh at the memory. Something I saw in traffic recently brought back the memory.

I was about thirty years old. I owned an old BMW 323. It was loud, and it was powerful. Under the hood was a six cylinder engine, it was a rear-wheel drive vehicle, and a stick shift.

   I was minding my own business at a red light when I heard the vehicle in the lane to my left rev its engine. I looked over and saw two young men in their late teens. They had the van in neutral and were gunning the engine of their parents' mini-van, wearing big grins on their faces. They made a hand gesture I find more humorous in those situations than I can manage to take offense in.

   I put my car in neutral and revved my engine. The sound was mighty. The sound was impressive. Their van surged.

Let me be clear: I knew something they didn't know.

I saw the police cruiser on the other side of a building about fifty yards ahead, on the other side of the traffic light.

When the light turned green, they threw their van into drive and peeled away from the traffic light in an impressive array of shouts, smoke, squeals, and speed.

I stayed right where I was. They were quite surprised when the lights on the police cruiser came on.

...And the police officer didn't see the hand gesture and cheesy grin I gave those teenagers as I drove past at a stately 35 m.p.h.