Crazy Night
I went out for dinner with my mother and sister. When we got back, I dropped them off because it was right on time to go see my friend Evelyn play guitar at Open Mic Night at the Villa Park VFW.
When I got to the VFW I didn't see the banner announcing Open Mic, nor did I see any of my friends' cars in the parking lot. So I checked my latest email from Ev and saw that it's next Friday, not this Friday.
I knew I didn't want to go home. I have had a lot on my mind lately, and thought about taking a leisurely drive into the country.
Normally I drive either west or south, into the prairie lands of Illinois, but tonight I decided to drive to the other side of Lake Michigan to see if I could catch the sun setting over the Lake.
I didn't. I did, however, see the sun setting over the Lake as I was rounding the southeastern tip of Lake Michigan, but by the time I got into Michigan (just a few miles further north), the sun had set.
So I was driving north on I-94 in the Militia State. I was just looking for the right spot to turn around and came across US 12 which goes to Niles, MI. I figured I'd just drive into town, turn around, and head back onto the Interstate.
US 12 was four lanes as it went east from I-94. I was in the left-hand lane, trying to figure out what the speed limit was in that part, and there was a car ahead of me. About 20 seconds later I saw a speed limit sign that said 55, and the guy in front of me was going a lot slower than that. So I got in the right lane and started driving about 60 mph. Just before I could have passed him on the right, the four lanes were reduced to two, with no median between the lanes of traffic. So I slowed down to let him pass in front of me (since he was the one losing his lane, not me).
I slowed way down and he finally passed in front of me. I saw his personalized license plate and it read "KENNY."
"Come on!" I cried out to myself. "Are you really going to drive 45 the whole way to Niles?"
Just then Kenny pulled into the oncoming lane of traffic.
"What the..." is all I managed to think when he turned the front end of his car to the right, blocking off both lanes of traffic. I heard dueling banjos as I turned hard left and turned around back the other way. There was no way I was going to squeel like a pig for some Michigan Militiaman, and the night could only end badly had I not high-tailed it out of there.
I sped up to 60 mph and saw Kenny was following me. So I sped up to 80, knowing I-94 was just a couple miles ahead. By the time I reached the entrance ramp, Kenny was a good half mile behind me.
I hopped on I-94 Westbound and continued to drive 80 in a 70 mile-per-hour zone. I was hoping to get pulled over. But before that happened, I was back in Indiana, and slowed back down to 75.
Seriously, what was it that happened on that dark, rural highway?!
When I got to the VFW I didn't see the banner announcing Open Mic, nor did I see any of my friends' cars in the parking lot. So I checked my latest email from Ev and saw that it's next Friday, not this Friday.
I knew I didn't want to go home. I have had a lot on my mind lately, and thought about taking a leisurely drive into the country.
Normally I drive either west or south, into the prairie lands of Illinois, but tonight I decided to drive to the other side of Lake Michigan to see if I could catch the sun setting over the Lake.
I didn't. I did, however, see the sun setting over the Lake as I was rounding the southeastern tip of Lake Michigan, but by the time I got into Michigan (just a few miles further north), the sun had set.
So I was driving north on I-94 in the Militia State. I was just looking for the right spot to turn around and came across US 12 which goes to Niles, MI. I figured I'd just drive into town, turn around, and head back onto the Interstate.
US 12 was four lanes as it went east from I-94. I was in the left-hand lane, trying to figure out what the speed limit was in that part, and there was a car ahead of me. About 20 seconds later I saw a speed limit sign that said 55, and the guy in front of me was going a lot slower than that. So I got in the right lane and started driving about 60 mph. Just before I could have passed him on the right, the four lanes were reduced to two, with no median between the lanes of traffic. So I slowed down to let him pass in front of me (since he was the one losing his lane, not me).
I slowed way down and he finally passed in front of me. I saw his personalized license plate and it read "KENNY."
"Come on!" I cried out to myself. "Are you really going to drive 45 the whole way to Niles?"
Just then Kenny pulled into the oncoming lane of traffic.
"What the..." is all I managed to think when he turned the front end of his car to the right, blocking off both lanes of traffic. I heard dueling banjos as I turned hard left and turned around back the other way. There was no way I was going to squeel like a pig for some Michigan Militiaman, and the night could only end badly had I not high-tailed it out of there.
I sped up to 60 mph and saw Kenny was following me. So I sped up to 80, knowing I-94 was just a couple miles ahead. By the time I reached the entrance ramp, Kenny was a good half mile behind me.
I hopped on I-94 Westbound and continued to drive 80 in a 70 mile-per-hour zone. I was hoping to get pulled over. But before that happened, I was back in Indiana, and slowed back down to 75.
Seriously, what was it that happened on that dark, rural highway?!