As much as I enjoy writing on this blog, I sometimes have occasion to write something non-Towson/college related. And until I can figure out a good place to put those somethings, I’m going to put them on here. I’ll give you fair warning though and tell you in advance.
For example, I’m posting a story right now that has absolutely nothing to do with what this blog is about. That being said, I’m going to post it here anyways and those who aren’t interested can just skip over it. Fair? If you want to read it, just click Full Story.
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I went for a drive tonight.
It’s sort of a tradition of mine to drive up Falls Road at night. The road goes north forever; you could take it all the way to Pennsylvania if you wanted. Every time I make that drive, I go a little bit further than I did the time before. And even though I’ve done the first leg of it dozens of times, it looks different every time I drive it.
Tonight was no different at first. I took the road past the traffic, the gas stations, and the traffic lights. Before I knew it I was in the zone; completely lost in the music with the wind flowing past my face. It’s in these moments that I’m best able to sort out whatever may be going on in my head. The drive takes on a personality of its own to help you. If you really need to find a solution to an issue, it can help you do that. If you just need to forget everything and drive, you can certainly do that as well.
Going a little bit farther every time is never preplanned. I never really set out to explore a new stretch of the road. Rather, I tend not to be ready to end the drive when I reach the old farthest point. And so I keep going.
Civilization disappears as the road winds into the forest. Even the farm lands that are so common on Falls Road start to fade away as I pass my farthest point. I find myself unable to see much in the dark, and end up chasing a set of red tail lights ahead of me. They are just barely visible through the trees and around the upcoming corner.
My taillights are being chased, too. As I go over each hill, my rearview mirror is black. Then, slowly, a white haze begins to form on the horizon behind me until my pursuer’s headlights are level with mine again.
The red lights ahead of me are gone, but there is something else. The same white haze looms above the approaching hill and I instinctively ease on the breaks. The haze climaxes in a bright explosion directly into my eyes, and for a moment I fear a head on collission. I slam the breaks down the rest of the way And then just quickly as it appeared, the lights are gone and everything is black again, except for a small section of yellow road striping lit up by my own headlights. I follow it around the next corner and build my speed back up.
There are still two white lights in the distance behind me, and they are unrelenting. They gain on me slightly before I press the gas harder and try to outrun them.
I am way farther than I have ever been before. Fields of wheat and horse stables have been traded for quaint inns made of stone, woodsy pubs, and some of the most beautiful mansions I have ever seen, all separated by miles of forest.
The only other car on the road is behind me, and gaining again. I speed up. I have outlasted everyone else, I’ll be damned if I’m going to be beaten now.
I am approaching dangerous speeds on a road far too dark and winding to handle them. I feel pushed forward by the lights in my rearview mirror. I am way farther than I have been before; I’m out of my league. The car behind me doesn’t let up. The driver must want to go faster.
My focus is intense. The same song has played four times in a row because I haven’t had the time or will to change it. My eyes drift constantly from the road in front of me, in favor of what’s behind me. I’m not going to be beaten. That car has to turn off somewhere.
The road forks, and before I can react I find myself bearing to the right. Even if I want to stop and turn around, to give up, I can’t. I’m going too fast to see the turns. I can’t slow down with the headlights bearing down on me from behind.
I’m not the only one who went right.
Another bright explosion in front of me stings my eyes, and I slam on the breaks. I recover quickly, but I have already lost ground to my pursuer. He is right behind me now.
I spot a truck turning onto the main road from the left. This is my chance. Turn off here; this isn’t safe anymore. No, the hell with that and the hell with whoever is behind me. I AM NOT GOING TO LOSE TO HIM.
The turns are getting tighter, and the pressure to keep my speed up is as high as ever. Navigating the winding road now becomes more like riding an out-of-control mine cart. I am slamming the pedals down as fast as I can to keep up with the bends in the yellow line and still stay ahead. My pursuer isn’t fazed. He is as close as ever, pushing me forward through a terrain that, quite honestly, scares me. My grip on the steering wheel is strong, but I grip harder anyway.
I see a flashing red traffic light up ahead, signaling a four way stop. This is it; the end of the road for me tonight. I bring the car to a crawl at the intersection, and roll through the stop sign to the right, past a mom-and-pop snowball stand that has closed for the night. I look back to see if I am still being followed but the lights are gone. This means I’ve lost.
Back on the main road again, heading home, there are no headlights chasing me nor are there taillights for me to chase. I fly through the turns at a more comfortable pace, although still a quick one. Finally, I change the song.
The old stone inns and the woodsy pubs whiz by me on the opposite side this time, and it’s not too long until I am in farm country again. The air smells significantly different here.
As I near my old farthest point, cars begin to appear again. I see a deer hop across the road in front of me, and I am thankful that I have slowed down.
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Knew someone who did the same thing except on the DC/MD beltway, enjoying doing the loop all around the city and the suburbs. Turns out the car pushing him was an unmarked police car! A mean game of tag, isn’t it?