Only In Montana
At first, Pam didn’t have time to regret rejecting Jorgen’s offer. The further she drove away from the microbrewery the stronger the wind blew. She had to drive with both hands on the steering wheel to prevent the wind from altering her course. It was as though the brewery was protected from the elements and once she left the safety of the parking lot, nature took charge of the night.
To maintain some level of confidence, Pam spoke aloud her encouragement to herself. “You are ten minutes away from home. You can make it.”
As though it responded to her statement, the wind hissed louder than the radio and taunted her. “You should have said yes to Jorgen.”
Pam strained to hear the words to the song playing on the radio. The wind’s deep tones beat on the windows and muffled the words. She wasn’t sure, if it was “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” by Garth Brooks or “Don’t Blink” by Kenny Chesney. She hunched to listen to the speaker in the door. A woman’s voice broke through the rattling. “Talk about not knowing your music,” Pam joked at how far her guess was from what the radio played. For the moment she felt better about her situation. If she could joke, she could make it home in one piece.
A gust of wind pushed against the side of her car and forced it into the next lane. Pam gripped the steering wheel and corrected the course. Her eyes widened at what was in front of her. The back of a semi swayed in the wind. She couldn’t be certain, but if she were forced to guess, Pam would have sworn she saw the lights rise an inch in the air and fall. Since the radio was no help, Pam talked to herself. “Did that semi just take to the air?”
Her shoulders tensed as she gripped the wheel to stay between the lines. “This is ridiculous,” she continued the conversation with herself. Pam considered pulling off at the next exit. It was better if she created distance between her and the semi. The last thing she wanted was to end up alone in a ditch.
Across the highway, two lanes and a grassy divider away, the back of another semi-truck toppled on its side. Time came to a standstill as she watched the events unfold in slow motion. She saw flakes of snow drifting in the light from the side of the highway. Then she saw the light from the semi curve away from her. In the absence of illumination from the headlights, darkness filled the space. Within the darkness, the sound of metal sliding against the asphalt took over her senses. Pam cringed as the sound made everything down to her teeth jolt. The sound amplified a warning to Pam. The back of the semi was sliding in her direction. Instinct kicked in, and Pam pressed the brake pedal and swerved right. Her intention was to swerve, straighten out and then stop parallel to the highway. The slick road condition made it an impossible feat. The laws of gravity and force exceeded Pam’s ability to control her vehicle.
Time returned to normal, and her face met the airbag. It was the first time she experienced it in real life. The videos made an airbag deployment seem less violent. Then again, they were in slow motion. In comparison to the jostling she had just endured, the world fell silent. The wind still blew, but it didn’t have any effect on her pickup.
Pam reached for her cell phone. Her hand roamed around the empty console and returned with nothing. Not as much as a pen was in the tray that held her easy to reach items.
It fell in line with her luck since leaving the brewery. Her mama said life would teach her right when Pam did wrong. If she had known it included lying to attractive men, Pam would have told Nancy and that Amanda woman to keep their opinions about Jorgen to themselves.
Obviously, the cell phone had fallen with all the motion. It couldn’t be too far from where Pam laid it. She loosened her seat belt and felt around the passenger seat of her pickup to find it.
Beginning with those lies she told Jorgen, her night went from bad to worse. She wished she could go back in time and undo what she had done and told Jorgen that she didn’t like driving in inclement weather. Maybe then on the ride home, she would have asked him about what Amanda said. Then he’d convince her that it was just like the programs she watched on the Hallmark Channel. Small towns have a way of holding on to the past. Perhaps since making his mistake, he became a new person. Then he’d say something like they should go out on that date to prove his change of heart.
If she told the truth, she’d have a date. And, she wouldn’t be on the side of a road in a ditch.
A knock on the window and the glow of a flashlight changed her stream of thoughts. Someone cared enough to stop and help her. To whoever it was she was eternally grateful. Pam pressed the button to lower the window. The papers in her car shuffled with the introduction of the wind. She squinted to see who was on the other side of the light. Then she recognized the familiar voice.
“Are you okay?”
The first thing that came to her mind was “Maybe I died, and I’m just dreaming.” Pam cautiously asked, “Jorgen?”
“Pam,” he exclaimed, “I knew I should have driven you home.”
A prick of light broke through the cloud that followed her since she lied. Her world was about to be righted. It was only a matter of time before reality matched what was in her head. She smiled and thought of the stories she’d tell her children—like the one about how she was able to find the love that she almost lost when she got stuck in a ditch.