Several weeks ago winter came to Nashville. I woke up one morning to find
the car doors locked shut with ice and a thin layer of snow and the roads
covered with it, too. I know this may piss off several of our readers in
varied parts of the American continent, but I'm sorry I can't control the
weather either. After pouring hot water down the door cracks to melt the
seals so I could get the doors open I got the B started and warmed up. As I
pulled out of the drive I gunned the engine briefly and touched the brakes
to check the traction or lack of, found I had quite enough to drive to work
and cooked on.
Several blocks later I fell in behind a Jeep travelling at a low rate of
speed. Like, five miles a week. The thing had enough ground clearance for
me to drive under. Each tire was the size of Willie Nelson's tax bill. And
moving at a snail's pace. We finally got through to a stretch of road by
Vanderbilt University where there was a turn lane in the center so I pulled
to the left a little to see if there was a line of traffic. Nothing. Here
was this guy in a car built for this kind of weather, joking along as if he
was carrying strawberries to James Bay on an old lumber road, and I'm
sitting in a twitchy, light assed, rear wheel drive MGB. After a second or
two of thinking "what the heck is this guy doing? He's in a JEEP
forchristssake!" I pulled out to pass him. Keep in mind I'm only doing
about 25 mph at his point. As I got about even with him he opened up his
(cloth) door and screamed "HEY! FUCK YOU!!"
Wow.
I get a little farther on towards the center of town and get stuck behind
ANOTHER Jeep travelling at five miles a week. This time he/she has a good
dozen cars behind waiting to get by and just keeps plodding along until the
road turns into two lanes and everyone passes. Hmmmmm.
End of part one.
Part Two
Last night the second wave of winter hit us. Snow/sleet and icy roads. I
got home after slipping and sliding in and out of downtown to find my wife
out of cigarettes and me out of beer, so I head out again for the grocery
store. As I turn the corner I find another Jeep (it sure looked like the
first guy, but I'm not making any assumptions) sitting crossways in a side
road spinning all four wheels, unable to get straight and moving. After
that store, passing my house on the way to the next, I get behind a
neighbor in a Chevy Suburb trying desperately to get out of the drive and
get stuck behind him at, again, five miles a week. All the way to the end
of the road and into the Mapco parking lot. Leaving the Mapco I look in the
rear view and all of a sudden there's a Jetta behind me gaining ground like
he's on the way to the delivery room. I pulled over and watched him run two
stop signs without even a hint of brake lights.
Is this a trend?
-----------------------------------------
Glenn Schnittke
schnittke@mindspring.com
Home: 615-385-2800
---------------------------------------------
|