The week the universe came together part III

As normally happens, some friends become takers and some end up as givers.

One night I was hanging out in Pizza joint where Chip ad Chance worked. They asked if I could give them a ride back to camp. It was getting really cold for late August and there were some snow flurries. Walking the 11 miles wouldn't have been pleasant for them.

I was exhausted, so when Chip and Chance got off work I said, "lets go". They said. "wait... lets party for a while" I was in no mood to get drunk and then drive up a mountain in the snowy darkness. I'm just not that crazy.

I was pissed that they had me hang around for hours to give them a ride just to have them renege on the deal.

We walked out onto the cold dark street and I pretty much decided it was time for me to go. It had been an amazing 6 days but I was being used for a taxi, beer money, planning and parenting. I had enough of that shit.Some things never change.

I was concerned however, that the cold weather had just hit and these stupid bums were still in shorts and Tee shirts.

Chance mirrored my exact thought at that moment. He said, "damn I'm cold and that asshole stole all our stuff how are we going to keep from freezing to death?"

I was half considering whipping out my credit card, but just as the words left his mouth. A New Saab pulled up to the corner, a fashionable young lady got out and placed two large boxes in front of us. The boxes were filled with brand new Ski clothes, pants, sweaters, jackets, long underwear, tents, zero degree sleeping bags etc.. every item still had the store price tags and was the exact right size for my two friends.

I stared in disbelief as my friends donned their new warm clothes and packed everything else up and put it in my car.

It was then I knew for sure that the universe had come together perfectly that very moment.

I told them I would drop the gear off at the camp for them but didn't mention leaving Telluride, I didn't want to listen to their bullshit about staying there with them and starting my life over.

I made it up the mountain but it was so dark and stormy I slept in the car. I didn't want to go traipsing through the forest in the black of night.

When I woke up the next morning, I packed up my camp, left the extra stuff in my friends tents, loaded up and headed out. I noticed they stayed in town that night. That was fine by me.

I felt a little guilty taking off unannounced but looking at the big picture I was just being used like a bitch anyway. Being the only thinking responsible person in a group is stressful and unfair.

Looking at the Atlas, I decided to take what I thought was more direct route home. It turned out to be a big mistake. US 50 had just been rebuilt and there were no painted lines on the road, no signs, reflectors, or lights for almost 200 miles. Then it started to pour down rain in buckets.

There was no where to pull off, the road was black and my brights barely let me see 5 feet in front of the car. I thought I was pushing it at 45mph. Truck drivers were pissed off and were passing me right and left. Their rigs were throwing tidal waves of water over the car as they went by.

I was white knuckling the steering wheel for hours trying not to run off the road. To make matters worse, since there were no signs I had no Idea how much further until the next highway.

I finally made it to the Texas border somewhere near Texico and Muleshoe. I was able to get on a main highway and make it to San Angelo.

That's when everything went to shit.

Another torrential downpour started, and I had been on the road 20 hours straight. The highway would divide and then go back to two lanes over and over. At one point I saw a pair of headlights coming straight for me.

I swerved to right to avoid a head on collision. The rain was coming down in sheets and I could see nothing out the front window. I stopped the car, afraid that I was still in the middle of the highway. There was just no way to tell.

At this point I said fuck it. There was absolutely no way I was driving blind. I turned on my hazards, put the seat back and fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was out the rain had stopped and I was perfectly parked behind an RV in a roadside parking area.

It was like god had picked up my car and placed it exactly where it needed to be. How could I go from torrential rain, head on collision to swerving into a parking place in one of the rare roadside stops? I was amazed and thankful.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. When I got home I realized that those assholes weren't really free. I was just lucky enough to have an adventure and see what it was really like on the other side without throwing my life away to do it.

I only saw the guys one time after that. It was three years later and they stopped in to visit for an hour. They had just been born again and the only reason they had stopped to see me was to try and convert me to some charismatic Pentecostal something or other. I was offended. To make matters worse they were trying to sign me up for Amway at the same time. They wanted my soul and my money.

I guess nothing ever changes.