There actually hasn't been many that I can think of, aside from being in a car accident.
However, one particular moment stands out in my mind.
My friends Pat and Jamie, Jamie's girlfriend (also named Jamey) and I went to spend a day out at Paramount Carowinds. We stayed until the very last minute at the park going on rides, completely wet from the water slide we just got off. I live about two to three hours away from the park, and we didn't end up driving back until about 11:30 at night.
Only Jamie had a driver's license at the time, but he was too tired to drive, so I took over for a while. At some point on the road, headlights came screaming behind me. A van was on my ass for a good minute or so, despite me in the right lane and no one else on the road. Also, remember I was essentially driving with only a limited permit so I was making sure I went the speed limit. The lights behind us would jump periodically, a sign that he was braking suddenly to avoid smashing into me. We didn't know what to do. There was nowhere to pull over.
By the time we considered slowing down and hoping the guy would pass us, the van suddenly swooped around us and sped off. The taillights were almost out of sight when they suddenly brightened and pulled over to the side of the road.
At this point, everyone got apprehensive. Pat and Jamie were much bigger than me, and I could tell they were scared. We were starting to run low on gas. With no idea when the next exit with a station would come up, we held our breath passing the van.
A few seconds after passing him, the van gets right back on the road. He is now not tailgating me, but he's within sight. We're all freaking out in the car now. Should we pull over? Should we call the cops? Maybe we can't because I wasn't supposed to be driving? No one's sure. But we're all getting images of news reports the next morning of an abandoned car found on the side of the road and four teens missing.
Luckily, we spot a sign for a rest stop that's a few miles down. And when we reach it, we can tell there are a few cars there as well. We pull in. So does he. There are three cars parked between us. The rest stop is well lit and there are some families lazily brushing up to vending machines, walking their dogs, etc. All of us have to go to the bathroom really bad now, so we decide to go in pairs. Whoever is in the van doesn't get out the whole time. Now all of us have empty bladders but are terrified. Will he follow us again? We spot some cars leaving the rest spot, and we decide that's our cue. We follow them out. The van stays parked. We get home safely.
And now for something completely different!
1 comment:
been a long time since I heard that story. Got goosebumps while reading that now. Good job! Keep up the writing.
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