So Friday night I was driving my van up to the liquor store a few blocks from my home to get some supplies for my brother Lars’ 21st birthday. I have my headlights on. I have my seatbelt on. I’m cruising along Washington Street heading east. It’s a one way road with four lanes. Traffic heading west is separated by a block of restaurants and businesses in between. I had a green light so I was ticking along at 35 MPH. So I’m there driving, I just passed 100th, going to turn left onto 102nd.
CAR!!!! HEAD ON!!!!! There was this small green car right in front of me. It turned out of the Hooters parking lot and turned right when it should have turned left. Even if it had turned left it would have been bad. But it turned right. Directly into me.
I don’t know what the car looked like. Who the people were. I didn’t have time to step on the brakes. To look in my mirrors. I didn’t think. My brain was not involved in my actions. I cranked the steering well hard right and swung around the car, missing it by mere centimeters. I was fully into the next lane of traffic, maybe even the one next to that too. Luckily there were no vehicles next to me.
There was no contact. I dodged the car. What the hell just happened??? I pulled over my van into a parking lot that was right there. I jumped out and ran to the street. I saw the car speed past me. It had corrected it’s course but was not going to pull over. So I ran back to my van while screaming a few choice words and giving the car the bird. I tore out of the parking lot and down the street after the car that had almost cost me my life. They were going fast and turned down a side street. I made the turn but they were a few cars ahead of me. There was a light up ahead and by the time I got there the light was red and there were cars in front of me. I saw the small green car drive around the bend ahead of me. And that was the last I saw of it.
I don’t know what I would have done if I had caught up to them. Maybe it’s better they got away. What do you think they thought though? They were low to the ground in their little tiny car. They make the turn out of the parking lot and there is a huge white van racing towards them with Che Guevara staring them down from the hood.
Viva la Revolution!