post the fifty-fifth, 2013

the game isn't scheduled to start till 19:45 and the schedule is running late. we don't get out of there till 21:00 and i am bust-dusted tired. not sleepy tired but that deep sort of physical tired that leaves you wanting to just stare out windows. not yet, though, cause there's the drive home. so i swap out my sweat-soaked tee for something dry, sluff my gear to the car, drop it in the trunk and drop myself in the seat. whew. crank the engine, switch on the headlamps, and i'm on the road. when you're tired like this, you have to be extra careful driving. it's easy to get distracted or to miss something in the periphery, just let yourself space out. so i'm vigilant, gripping the wheel like a maniac, eyes on the road. i get to the traffic signal and eschew the city route, going left to take the country roads home. it's darker, sure, but there's less traffic to deal with. i'm in a rhythm now, tooling down the straightaway, when i notice a glow in the trees on my right. moon? no. car? no. what's over there? then it dawns on me - that's the railroad. there's a train sneaking up behind me. well, if you can call a multi-ton, 11 foot tall iron structure, barreling 50mph down an inescapable 4'8.5"-wide track "sneaking"... i check my rearview - no cars - and none in front of me as far as i can see. it's just me and the train. i slow down until he's beside me, then match his pace. he's blowing the hell out of his whistle - there's a crossing ahead - and we're both just barreling along now (47mph according to my gauge) side-by-side through the dark country night. we pass the crossing and approach the trestle. the distance clicks away, click, click -- up a rise, down again, big sweeping right turn, turning right into the railroad, into his path, here comes the train, barreling down on me!

i pass under the trestle, he passes over, and just like that, we leave each other. i head east, home, and he pushes on to the west.