Early morning drive: alone or not?
I looked up ahead and saw…no one. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw…no one.
No cars. No trucks. Nothing. Just darkness.
I was out here on the highway…alone.
My flight was delayed. I landed at 1:30 in the morning. Caught my shuttle to long term parking. Got on the toll road, then the interstate. Forty miles to go. It’s nice at night. No trucks on my tail. No lights in my mirrors blinding me. No slow drivers to pass. No cars weaving through car-filled lanes. Just me.
It’s surreal. I’m not prepared for this. There’s always red tail lights to follow. There’s always the glare of oncoming headlights. There’s always someone merging onto the highway. There’s always Amazon trucks, car carriers, fuel trucks, and trailers laden with boats.
Not tonight. Tonight it’s just me.
This moment is peaceful. Almost hypnotic. A dream? No, I’m awake. I slept on the plane.
But what if. What if there are no other drivers? What if I’m not just alone on the road, but alone in the world? What if I get home, and there’s no one there?
A lot of weird things go through my head at 3 in the morning. Alone in a car, alone on a road, alone in…the world?
I can go as fast as I want. Or slow. I can stop right here if I want. I can turn around and drive in the other direction. I can swerve from lane to lane. No one to see, no one imposing limits, no one saying, “Stop!” no blue and red lights in my rear view mirror.
My speed is seventy-ish. I’m in the center lane. In an instant, I see lights behind me and lights ahead of me. My exit approaches.
I am not alone. Many others are out here driving. Driving like no one else is on the road. Eighty-five. Lane to lane. Disappearing from sight around the curve.
And I am alone once again.
I really hope someone is home, waiting for me.
