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Many years ago, I was travelling between Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas, close to midnight on a warm, early summer Saturday night. The road was a brand new, divided 4 lane and, as there were no small towns adjacent to this road, there was no traffic. I was in a 930. The windows were down, the sunroof was open, the H1's were burning a nice view ahead. No oncoming traffic for miles.
I have been traveling this general route for years on a wretched old two lane and I'm pretty pleased to be trying out this nice, wide road. I can't resist tempataion. I change down to third and nail it. Moments later, I'm back in fourth, foot to the floor. A few miles up the road, I see the tailights from a solitary car, in the right hand lane about a half mile ahead. I have a brief conversation with myself and decide to press on. As I close on the car, I switch to low beams, breathe the throttle a little and crowd the left side of the road to give him a little room as I whistle past. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something shiny, about the size of a grapefruit on the left A pillar of the car. I reflect for a moment on that and try to recall what else I glimpsed. Might have beena plain-vanilla four door American sedan. Might have had really plain hubcaps. Uh, oh.
I roll out of the throttle and coast down to 70mph, which is the speed limit. I signal a change into the right hand lane and wait. Soon, I have a pair of headlights on my bumper. For the next 6 or 8 miles, that's where they stay. Then, he pulls to the left and slowly slides by. Looks like an undercover sheriff's car. Dark windows. County tag.
I think I passed an off-duty sherriff, he ran my plates and they came up clean and he decided to head home to bed. Lucky me.
JR
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