Monday, December 6, 2010

"I'm Going to Run Over That Cat..." Part 1 of 3

They thought dropping Danny off at my parents house, where I lived at the age of 18, was hilarious.  Why?  Because he was drunk.  Surely my parents would get upset and I would be the recipient of their anger.  Danny's buddies laughed as they took off in the night... undoubtedly looking for more mischief.  What they hadn't counted on was my parents indifference.  After all, both my Mom and Dad knew I didn't drink or party. They understood without my saying anything that it wasn't my fault that Danny was now under the influence and under our roof.  My Dad trusted me and simply told me to take Danny home.  He gave me the keys to his car.

Earlier in the year, Danny's parents - who he lived with- asked me if I would be Danny's "driver" as his license was revoked.  They were thrilled that their son actually knew someone who wasn't a fellow mischief-maker.  I think they were hoping to be matchmakers.  It didn't work.  But, hey, I did take Danny home when he was drunk.

He lived about 15 miles away, in the country.  Ever the vigilant driver, I drove a cautious 50 mph on the small country highway.  I always tried to do things "right".    A few miles past the town I lived in,  I rounded a curve.  The headlights of my car hit a cat in the middle of the road. When you have to stop quickly ... 50 is fast.

How long does the light from your headlights, reach?  And how long would it take for a car to reach the end of the original headlight beam?  A car that is going 50 mph?  And what do you do when you can't go "around" the cat?  On my right was a high rock wall/hill.  To my left was a ditch...the other side of which was a cow pasture.  And... cows.  Oh, and sitting on the seat to my right was poor, drunk, Danny.

It was really weird.  In less than one second, countless things went through my mind.  Now keep in mind, I was only 18 and had been driving a car for no more than two years at this point.  I wasn't a bad driver, but I wasn't a skilled, professional  either.  There was no way I could have avoided an accident.  Yet...like I said, tons of things came to my mind in no more than one second.  Obscure newspaper articles about people getting in accidents and even dying in order to avoid an animal, came to mind.  Not just one article - lots of them.  I remembered things that I learned two years earlier, in drivers ed.  I don't have the time to tell you all the thoughts that flooded my mind in an instant.

You've heard of a persons entire life flashing before their lives in life and death situations?  Well...this was similar - except I knew it wasn't a life and death situation.  Nevertheless, everything I needed to know to deal with that moment, came to my mind in a flash.  It was supernatural.  There is no other explanation.

Then I heard a voice - Danny's voice as he screamed out "What are you doing?!"  I replied with a calm, concentrated certainty:

"I'm going to run over that cat."




Tomorrow, I'll tell you what happened...

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