Passing Thoughts

We are an odd assortment of entities, we humans. Of course, while at some level I understand that I number among the odd ones, I don't really believe it in my heart. My driving, for example, is nigh unto perfect. Really! This allows me to observe peculiarities in others, and I here and now address my keyboard to briefly recount one of these.

To wit: we live near a two-lane highway. The problem with a two-laner is that not everyone prefers to go through life at the same speed. Since I am not the fastest driver in the world, certain other drivers insist on passing me. Of course, I try to help them out when I can. Every so often, for instance, the blessed highway builders have added a special passing lane that is long enough for others to pass me in comfort and with ease, for if we chance upon one of these, I stay in the slow lane and allow others to pass.

However, when the gas pedal is under the other foot, so to speak, it doesn't always work out as well. You see, just as I am not the zippiest driver in the world, neither I am not the ploddingest one. Sometimes, therefore, I am the one getting stuck behind a turtle (sorry Dave), and it is I who looks to take advantage of one of these designated passing zones. Alas, it doesn't always work out as well as I would hope, for not all others are as considerate as I. (Remember if you will that I count myself as one of the few non-odd humans, and one of my finer traits is that I am considerate.)

In point of fact, more than once I have putted along behind a slow driver, but as we enter the passing zone s/he will suddenly depress the gas pedal and begin to speed like a bat of out you know where. This presents a conundrum, for I know that if I don't pass, the same driver will slow back down to a leisurely crawl just as soon as we get back to two lanes, and I will be stuck again. It's beyond my ken what goes through their brains, but I have found myself in this predicament more than once.

And so ... I am forced to hurtle into warp speed in order to get by the turtle-become-bat-soon-to-become-turtle-once-again and end up exceeding the speed limit by not a small margin. Someday, I will probably be hauled off to the hoosegow for my efforts. It's just not fair, I tell you. Not when I'm so sincere, considerate and wonderfully un-odd.