Factions

Not to overstate things, but I almost saw the end of the universe today.
   See, there are two different garbage truck companies that work my neighborhood. Okay, 'waste management experts,' or whatever you call the people who take away all my filthy leavings. One company has gray trucks with red, the other company uses blue trucks. I think my apartment uses the one with blue trucks, which is neither here nor there but I'm throwing it in for a touch of veracity.
   Anyway, the two companies try to keep different schedules on different days, so they're not trying to pick up garbage on the same street at the same time, which would be no good for anyone.
   Except it didn't quite work out that way today.
   The gray truck was on my street, rattling and banging and making all kinds of hydraulic noises as it hoisted a dumpster high overhead and upended it. There was beeping too, as the little truck that retrieves the dumpsters was skittering all over the place. Man, those guys work fast....
   As I got to the corner I saw another of those little trucks take a right turn onto my street. The guy driving jammed on the brakes when he saw the other garbage truck, and he grabbed his radio. Right behind him the blue garbage truck that was also going to turn right skidded to a stop - which, if you've never seen a garbage truck skid to a stop, is truly an alarming sight - and almost clipped the back of its little service truck. I think the blue truck sloshed out some garbage juice, because it suddenly reeked of garbage-y grossness right there. Pretty disgusting, but it has to be even worse for the guys driving.
   The blue truck backed up, which just put even more beeping and grinding noises into the atmosphere, and then the little pickup truck did the same. All the while completely tying up traffic at the intersection. Meanwhile the guys in the gray truck noticed what was going on and they seemed genuinely alarmed, maybe even a little upset, and I don't think it was because of the garbage juice smell.
   Obviously one of those trucks shouldn't have been there. I don't know who had dibs, I just know neither crew expected the other. I used to think it was just a matter of the street being too narrow for two garbage trucks at the same time, but given the reactions of both crews I think it's more than that.
   I think one garbage truck is matter and the other is anti-matter. And if Star Trek has taught me anything it's that when matter and anti-matter get together... BOOM!! Instant end of everything as we know it. That's the only explanation that really makes any sense.
   Either that, or the two crews are like the Jets and the Sharks and they have to rumble when one encroaches on the other's turf. Yeah, maybe that's it, singing and dancing garbage truck crews. Stranger things have happened.