[Hendog]

This is a long time ago…Leaving Saskatoon from a failed job interview, I entered a traffic circle only to exit the next right. Both lanes from the circle merged into one at the exit, unbeknownst to me. I ended up cutting off a ghost car in my yellow ’74 Nova SS with black stripes. Realizing my error but unaware of “law man” behind me, I avoided looking at the “fellow” in rear view as we pulled up to the stop lights.

When the lights turned green, we were headed for the open 4lane divided highway with noon hour traffic. I could tell this “guy” was not happy with me since he wouldn’t get off my tail. I was thinking “it was an honest mistake; no harm no foul!” I tried to shake him a few times: up to 80Mph then back down to 60-55. I’d get ‘er up to 80 again and pass a semi, pull in front of the semi then stay there with the semi on my tail, thinking this “guys’” going to have to give up this schitt!! He just stayed in the other lane alongside the semi.

Well I got tired of this cat and mouse game and figured he surely won’t try keeping up to me if I go for it. I step on it; the speedo climbs past 80, 90, 100, 110, 115 and he’s keeping up!! We’re weaving through highway traffic and I’m at the point where I decide this is real dangerous and we need to stop this NOW! I PULL TO THE SIDE, MASH DOWN ON MY BRAKES! Buddy must have thought the same thing at the same time because as he goes flying by on my left he had just engaged his FLASHING LIGHTS???!!! Oh no…

The cop stops about 60 feet up ahead, leaves his cruiser in a huff, doesn’t even take the time to don his hat, huge strides to get to my window and unleashes his rant. I know not to say anything at that moment and let him blow his steam until he asked me to speak. Now mind you, I’m a clean cut kid, wearing my suit and tie just coming back from a job interview, clean DL record and all. He calls me out of the car and I start to give him my side of the story; I’m not a big guy so I don’t come off as any threat to anyone. We’re leaning on the back of his cruiser as I’m outlining the traffic circle, the two lanes, the single merge exit, not aware the ghost car was a cop car, thinking he was some jerk trying to goad me (didn’t have the term road-rage back then). Now we’re sitting in his cruiser as he calls in my DL and registration; all clean. I ask him why he didn’t stop me the first or second or third time I hit 80 Mph? He knew I had a point and he had pushed me. I was not the aggressor. He said he was on his way home for some lunch and he’ll let this go this time (don’t recall exactly his words), but he let me go without even a written warning.

When I got back to Regina, I had a blown master cylinder from that sudden stop to the shoulder. So it did cost me the repair to my brakes; otherwise it was a clean getaway!