The One Where I Slip Away

Ah! Thanksgiving. Turkey Day. Eat, eat and eat some more. Get into your neighbours maternity pants and eat even more. And then drag your sleepy self to bed and either wake up late, or wake up real early for black Friday shopping. Well, not me! For those who dont know, I have moved to the state of Michigan and the company I work for does not have Friday off. So awake I was dragging my lazy butt to work on a Friday morning when the rest of the world was buying $1000 laptops for $500.

As luck would have it, I turn my key in the ignition and it starts snowing. Well, a few flurries seem alrite, and I start driving whilst talking to a friend on my cell phone, telling her how driving can get dangerous when it freezes but the initial snow is perfectly fine.

The roads I take to work are not Interstates. Most are internal roads where you could do a 45-55 mph at times. Michigan roads have a weird design and some idiot has the nerve to put up a "STOP" sign on a road where everyone is usually doing a 55. This happens to be the road I travel everyday to work and always spot the "STOP" sign rather late (fortunately never too late). Well, its 20 minutes into my drive and its still snowing and I am approaching the stop sign. So I hit the brakes with the intention of slowing down. However, my car has plans of its own. After a few seconds I have a funny feeling. A feeling of I am traveling in the same direction as I was before but the car is attempting to become perpendicular to its initial position. Now I had read this somewhere that when a vehicle skids, let go of the brakes and get back on the accelerator. My problem was if I hit the accelerator, I was surely going to skip the "STOP" sign. So I did the best thing.....


Pray.

And hit the accelerator with the hope whoever was at the STOP can see me come through. And I cruised through the STOP sign with a few confused looks from drivers. Cant blame them. A car with an Indian driver drifting at a 45 degree angle at the speed of 30 through a STOP sign on Black Friday in Michigan countryside. I would be confused! Well, at least amused.

And if you think that was the end of it, you got it so wrong. I drove to work at tortoise pace and finally reached the spot where I make a left into the company campus. with the idea of playing it all safe I got my car to a complete stop before hitting the left. But then again, my car had plans of its own. Once again, from a complete standstill it started sliding ahead and there I was waving bye-bye to the left turn as my car went on a path of its own and stopped after a few meters as per its own free will. Now either I could drive half a mile, make a U-turn (if my car so allowed me to) and come back, or the frustrated me could just reverse. I chose the later, however this time my car decided to skid back in reverse and once again miss the point of left turn. So there I was, moving back and forth over a 10 meter strip of land trying to position my vehicle to make the most important left turn of my life.

This is when an SUV makes its appreance from the opposite side of the road, decides to slide around and come to a stop right in front of the driveway I am trying to turn in. This is when with great effort I have finally got my car in the right position, ready to make the left. (Does this remind you of Dodge 'Em cars at Esselworld?) The lady driver is visibly shaken with the sliding around and decides to catch her breath parked in front of the driveway. At this instant my car feels an immense attraction towards her SUV and starts sliding in her direction. Well, the bright side - it was at least sliding in the right direction. Fortunately it does not slide all the way and the SUV scoots and I finally get to my parking spot.

And then the sun comes out, it rains and all the snow/ice washes off.

Someone have a Hummer I could borrow?