It was 3:00 AM on Interstate 20 west of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Crossing the Mississippi River Bridge unnerved me, particularly at night. The annoying hum of the tires interacting with the steel-grated crossing, and the apprehension that the structure supporting me was well over 60 feet above the water terrified me. The only comfort for the two mile span was the cloudless night and bright moon that guided me. That made the drive a bit more tolerable.
The trees along the river bank were illuminated with a silvery light that cast shadows, creating two dimensional silhouettes. Dimming the dashboard lights to improve my view, depth of field was lost as shadow and light played games with my vision. The boundary separating light from shadow was wispy and unclear, creating the illusion of movement, as if the trees were shifting from their rooted nest.
The satellite radio was tuned to Coast To Coast AM and George Noory’s guest was intriguing as usual. The subject of tonight’s show focused on the spiritual realm; spirit guides and guardian angels. Each caller to the show had a specific question that was preceded by one’s own tale of the unusual. Some of the tales were more believable than were others. And if I were to call I would most likely skip the story and proceed to the question, I had no tale to tell.
Sipping a cup of truck-stop coffee that was brewed with a driver’s intent in mind, it provided a much needed stimulant to stay awake. My journey tonight was the result of a late-night phone call at 11:00 PM from the Vice President of Production regarding an emergency meeting. The meeting had been hastily scheduled to be held at the branch office in Shreveport, Louisiana at 8:00 AM the following morning. It was too late to arrange a flight, and the drive from Jackson, Mississippi was uneventful and easy. I suppose most people would have opted out of the required engagement with a myriad of reasons to do so. My parents, on the other hand, had instilled in me an unyielding work ethic. As a school child if I were sick, my Dad would encourage me to go to school. Insisting that I was going to be sick anyway, so why not be productive while being sick. So, in good conscience, I could not decline the request.
West of the bridge I saw a hitchhiker. She was alone and desperately waving her arms above her head for someone to stop. I did not see a car, nor had I noticed one disabled in my travel, and my first thought was why she is alone and how did she get here. I looked in the rearview mirror to begin my exit from the highway. As I placed my foot on the brake pedal to stop, the pedal offered no resistance and my foot rested on the floor of the car. No brakes! I began to pump the brake pedal, slowly at first, and then with added concern. Certainly, I could coast to a stop but not in time to assist the hitchhiker. In fact, I dismissed the possibility of offering her aid and drove slowly to the next exit with plans to use the emergency brake as an alternative.
Approaching exit Number 171, the Tallulah exit, I once again tried to apply my brakes and with different results. The brakes worked perfectly. I stopped to refill my coffee and continued west toward Shreveport. I changed the radio setting to a local channel as I drew nearer to my destination. The news bulletin sent a chill throughout my spine. Two carjacking victims were found east of Tallulah on Interstate 20. One was dead, two gunshots to the head, and the other was wounded and left dying. The wounded victim gave an account of the crime, an account that described an attractive woman hitchhiking. And when they stopped to offer assistance, the woman jumped into the back seat of the car and held their attention by removing her blouse. With their attention focused on the woman’s breasts, a man armed with a handgun ran from the wooded area near the highway and attacked the two men. Shooting both and dragging them from the car.
At the time I felt fortunate that I could not stop and certainly I would have been a victim if I had. The next day, I had the braking system checked and the mechanic found nothing faulty. The strange coincidence of a failed braking system and the inability to stop saved my life. At the time I considered the series of events to be a stroke of good luck.