Friday, December 16, 2005

It's snowtime

I am back in one piece ... I am grateful to the almighty for giving me the strength to endure my most challenging drive of the season. I hope I am not giving an impression that I was participating in a race track event but trust me it was a harrowing experience to say the least. So the story goes ....

Date: 12/15/05. Time: 8.00 AM. I was rushing to the bus stop to catch the earliest possible bus to my friend's house. A heavy overnight snowfall didnt make it any easier for me to make it any
faster to the bus-stop. I left my house at 7.50 AM since the scheduled time of the bus was at 8.00 AM but to add to my miseries, I could not make it in time to get on board. So, with a heavy heart and a rather comprisingly coy attitude, I decided to walk it up to her house. I had promised her, I would be there first thing in the morning after a rather unnecessary argument overnight.

So I started walking the glorious path with my indefatigable spirit to live up to my words. I am sure she didnt have the slightest idea what that effort meant but I was bent on my promise. Earlier, the plan was to drop her off to a local bus station but I was in for a big surprise. I made it to her place by 8.15 AM. She was still busy deciding what stuff to pack in and what to leave behind. I love it when girls have that confusion interspersed with despair .. it is a happy situation for a keen observer like me .. i m being too mean here but I decided to offer a helping hand to make her feel better. She was her usual self .. lost, confused, desperate, unsure etc... and then she let the cat out of the bag ..

It was brought to my notice that I had to drop her off to JFK International Airport in New York. I was completely taken aback by her decision and for a moment my mind went blank. I had a meeting scheduled for that afternoon and I did not know what needed to be done about that. I feel she should have asked me once before deciding but sometimes it is understood amongst friends. I knew her nature too well and I suspect the rationale behind her decision.

So we were off to Enterprise to pick up the car. The feeling hadnt quite sunk in and there were more surprises to come. I would not like to state any more episodes that transpired that morning as I know she would take offence to those issues. The morning had been one helluva experience but it had some sweet moments in between.

We packed our breakfast from IHOP .. I appreciate this gesture of her's since she made sure that we indeed got there inspite of the limited time we had. After stuffing a delicious Chicken Fajita omlette (my mouth still waters when I think about it) ... we moved on. I decided to drive since the weather was unfavorable. So we were on our way to JFK :)

Surprisingly, we managed to get there well ahead of time. It took us some time to beat the traffic at George Washington Bridge but it wasnt as bad as it can possibly get. We touched JFK at around 5.15 pm. It had already got dark and I knew I had a lonely drive back home.

What awaited me was a complete shocker !!! I got stuck in a major traffic snarl on I-80 W. The traffic was moving at a snail's pace ... Driving conditions were appalling and visibility was next to nothing. In such a stop-and-go scenario, my knee started to give me more problems leave alone the stiff back that I had been putting up a brave front with. It took me nearly 2 hours to get through that traffic but it kept getting worse. The defrost was screwed up and I was running low on gas .. I kept praying in between to comfort myself. Monster trailers buzzing past my modestly sized car made it difficult to maintain stability.

Things got so worse that at one point in time, when I decided to change lanes I was automatically routed with minimal steering movement. It all sounds funny now when I look back at it but I was in a miserable state. Besides driving the car, I had to navigate single handedly .. which I was not quite used to .. It always helps to have someone besides who can navigate and I really missed one then. I entered Pennsylvania and was greeted was pitch darkness. Driving on 380 North was unimaginable in that kind of adverse weather. The accumulating ice on the windshield made visibility extremely poor and I had to swing sideways at times to get an idea of where I was. It was absolutely crazy and I felt like a weirdo doing that stunt.

I was destined to get home as I had to return the car the next morning. Inspite of being physically challenged due to my back and knee pain , I did not give up and decided to weather the storm. The sight of the vehicles off the road lying under piles of snow was indeed scary. I reached Crossings Mall and decided to fill up some gas .. I found a Mobil gas station but it was defunct. I kicked myself for having taken the exit but I knew I needed some gas immediately. It was blistering when I got out of the car to fill gas and it was difficult to stand out even for 10 seconds. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to keep moving forward .. I found another one and got a much deserved break from driving. I spoke to a few friends who comforted me and wished me luck in the remainder of my expedition.

I quickly got my act together . I was still a good 75 miles from Binghamton but I wanted to make sure I get past this patch on 380 N ... I do not remember what gave me the strength but somehow I made to Scranton and got onto 81 N. I felt I had done something as spectacular as conquering Mt. Everest ... I pulled over at a rest area after Scranton and took some time out to reflect on what I had been through ... Eventually, I was a tired man when I got back home. Binghamton had turned into a mountain of snow and with a few tricks I managed to park the car safely. It took me freaking 7 hours to drive as against 3.5 hours in normal conditions but I was glad I made it safe and sound.

I was not worried about myself but I was getting increasingly anxious as I have not heard back from her. I just pray to God that she is safe and I hear back from her as soon as possible.

I got up today morning and returned the car ... I could not help convincing the Enterprise rep who dropped me home, how difficult it was yesterday night. I decided to write all this down as it was one of the most memorable adventures in my life span...

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