U-Turn

Usually Erik and I carpool together to and from work each day, but now that his sports coordinating and coaching positions have kicked in, there are several days we drive separate. This fact alone has made me realize how truly spoiled I am—it’s no fun driving all by yourself! Not only that, but sometimes a solo driver finds himself (or herself in this case) in a precarious decision-making situation. Take yesterday, for example. I was happily driving home in the good ‘ole mini-van, cruising to 80's music, when I made my first bad decision and took a back-road-short-cut. This is in Pike County, remember.

As I crested a hill on this remarkably narrow country road, I saw the flashing brake lights of the large truck in front of me, which was carrying a fully-loaded trailer as well. This explains why my vision was partially impeded, but it became increasingly obvious that there was a block in the road ahead. No traffic was coming from the other direction, and the driver in front of me seemed to be getting comfortable for the long haul. He removed his hat, rested his arm along the seat, and settled down to wait.

If you know me at all, you know that I do not wait well. At least in traffic.

Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Frustrated, I fished my cell phone out of my purse and called my mother, who was at home watching the kids. I may be a little late.

You see, the idea of an illegal U-turn had already occurred to me, and I would’ve been footloose and fancyfree if not for the size of my vehicle in relation to the width of the road. Uneasily, I glanced to my left and to my right, realizing there was a sharp drop-off both ways. A U-turn might free me from this interminable torture, but it could also turn nasty and plunge me into an even worse situation. As I gritted my teeth and tried to make a decision (another weakness of mine), two more cars appeared behind me. I grunted. This would only make a U-turn more difficult. I should’ve been brave and tried it while I had the chance!

I looked forward. No movement. Just the flicker of flashing lights—maybe police, maybe the department of transportation. What was going on?

I looked behind me. Three more cars had joined our caravan. Great! It was then I noticed a flash of movement. A man in an SUV behind me was growing impatient. Wildly, he hung his head, neck, and shoulders from the window to try and see the cause of everyone’s mounting irritation. He mirrored my earlier actions, looking left and right, forward and behind. Aha, I thought! He’s considering a U-turn! If he tries it, then I’m right behind him.

Expertly, he slid his vehicle from the line of traffic and executed a perfect three-point turn. As I watched—impressed—I couldn’t help but notice that he drove a rather compact SUV and that his portion of the road was markedly wider than mine. Did I dare to follow him?

I took a deep breath. I was either going to go down in the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the first successful U-turn in an unwieldy mini-van on an undeniably narrow Pike County road, or I was going to lodge a tire off the edge, trapping my vehicle and providing utter embarrassment to me and added frustration to my fellow drivers. I glanced at the clock. We were nearing a nearly twenty minute wait.

With renewed determination, I blared my 80’s music and pressed down on the gas. I inched forward, blocking the entire road. I could see at least seven cars behind me now, all of their drivers keenly focused on my progression. I reversed, inched backward, delicately balancing on the edge of the road. Forward. Backward. Forward. Backward. No, this was not the textbook three-point turn of my predecessor, but by some miracle I suddenly found myself pointing in the opposite direction. I had done it!

As I drove proudly away from the still-waiting line of traffic, a random woman waiting in a red car caught my attention. She was giving me the thumbs-up sign! Shaking off a mixture of annoyance, relief, and amusement, I had one lingering thought as I took an alternate route home.

I miss my co-pilot.