A Hot August Day, Light shining and swirling on the blacktop, Sun blazing down on a nice Reno Valley Day. I’m hauling ass.. trying to get to a jobsite. Driving a rental White Chevy blazer.. Flying at about 75 Mph with the rest of the driving pack…I even have a big rig just tailing me about 5 car lengths back..
I look down at the stereo for the right CD track and just pick three songs up.. then glancing a look back over the dash…There it is.

A white, fluffy mattress is just Perpendicular to my blazer..
I see the new plastic flying off the mattress and coming from under this pickup in front of me.
The ‘I just got bought’ kind of plastic.. Looking past I see if there’s a box spring around for the main danger, but to no avail. So, now I’m coming at this new mattress at about 70mph.
I could have slammed on my brakes and caused a pile up, But I was thinking..
‘Hey.. It’s soft.. Fuck it.. Ramming Speed!’

I depressed the gas just to lift the front end.. wondering what really was going to happen..
I mean.. after all.. it’s just a rental, but to the people behind me who might not know about this impending blockage on vision..

Pow!

It makes a strong but low thump sound, and then everything goes quiet.. I didn’t even remember hearing the song for a good four or five seconds.. Just the wondering of what to happen.. stretched out as far as possible.. the car grew dark for a second.. if that.. this swallowed darkness.. only to be rejected by physics.. to be launched.. Supreme Contact at probably 75mph .. It flops then flips over the blazer like a prize winning gymnast.
Looking in my rearview.. I see a Volvo Semi-Truck behind me just cream the mattress a death giving blow and padding and shrapnel a flying as the mattress is swallowed under the wheels of the rig. I see the rig starting to jackknife behind me a bit.. eyes glued to the mirrors, wondering what’s to happen. The rig, maintains a bit of control and the end slide back into place at probably 45mph.. but smoking tires and sweaty palms were all to remind me as I pressed onto the jobsite..

And I was early for a change.

06/26/2004

Author's Note: This is a true story..

Posted on 06/26/2004
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