So... I seen this guy. This Mike Berkemann, he was driving a 2010 RR RCSB down highway 32 and I was following right behind him. The weather was about to get real nasty, and everyone was heading for cover.

We were blazing down the road like a couple of bats out of hell trying to beat the storm that was coming. You could see the storm clouds turning dark and the sky was getting that sickly green color. You know it was going to be bad.

There wasn't any raindrops yet, but we weren't going to wait around. I don't know know where Mike was going, but I was still a good 20 minutes from the house and safety. If you remember highway 32 hasn't really been fixed since old Jacob Stephens drove his combine to the liquor store on lower hebron road. Oh they paved it back some but it still was wavy and very slick if you are going way to fast. But anyways, I was getting worried since ol' Mike and I were coming up on the high end of the speedometer and I could hear his engine straining. Not sure what he was running in that thing but the exhaust note was very loud and not very happy. I didn't have trouble keeping up with him though but I was worried about the curve by the Simpsons.

That curve took out many a unsuspecting 15 year old kid going way to fast in his daddy's truck. There is a large oak tree about 40 feet from the side of the road just waiting for some young punk to wrap themselves around it. Seen some terrible wrecks with that tree. Theres also been a few drunks sitting on the side of the road next to the remains of their smashed up Ford waiting for the ambulance and sherrif to show up and help them home. If you catch my meaning.

Back to ol' Mike, I just knew he was going way to fast for that curve and would end up with his truck in pieces. Turns out, we didn't have to wait to long before we saw that curve. Actually, Mike saw that curve first. And I'll tell you right now, he didn't hit his brakes. Well, I'm pretty sure he didn't, I didn't seen any lights or the nose dip or nothing. I saw him jerk that thing into the oncoming lane and cut that corner in half just like he was some trans am racer from the 70's. I'm sure he had driven that curve hundreds of times in order to make that move. It was a thing of beauty. But I didn't have time to admire his driving skills, I had a choice to make. Either follow Mike through his crazy move or hit my brakes hard. Well, what do you think I did?

I'll tell you. I followed ol' crazy Mike. And I think that I gained on him some. That was some wicked move. I'll have to remember that for future, ah... adventures.

So at this point, I'm only 10 minutes from home and I still don't know where Mike is going. There isn't much past my place on highway 32. Eventually there is another intersection with some farms but you have to go a long ways past that for any real civilization. Or at least any place with a bar. Unfortunately, there are raindrops starting to sprinkle on the windshield, but not hard enough to roll up the side windows. The air is still kind of cool and fresh, but not any wind yet. I don't have much time to get to the house and the safety of the 100 year old basement that has definitely withstood greater storms. They don't build them like that anymore, that's for sure.

Since I'm thinking about home, I'm starting to slow down a little bit, not a lot, still doing 3 digits on the speedo, but I only have a few miles to the house and I've really stopped caring about what happens to Mike. And more on how I'm going to get the truck in the barn and the mad dash I'll have to make to the house and hopefully not get sopping wet.

As that last thought clears my mind, I see Mike's truck clear my driveway. He doesn't stop directly in front of it or anything but he is slowing down real fast and I don't know why. Now I'm not sure if I want to find out or do I want to hurry my butt to the house. This is going to be a big dilema, I can just feel it.

I don't really know what Mike is doing or if anything has happened. Maybe a truck malfunction, something had to give on that ole rust bucket he was driving especially the way he was driving it. I started to list in my mind all of the things that could have gone wrong. Blown tire, nah, I'd seen the tire parts and his truck slowed down in too controlled a fashion. He could have blown the engine, put a rod through the block. But how would I know, I've never seen an engine blow up while someone was driving. Maybe there was something in front of the truck that he was stopping for, like an animal. But, geez, no animal was worth getting caught in this storm for.

This is where it starts to get real good. Cause you know, I'm starting to get curious. you know where your curiosity is getting the best of you, even though you know that it could turn out real bad for you. Anyways, I see my driveway coming up real fast. Do I slow down and turn into the safety of my place or do I go see what is up with Mike.

I'm sure you can guess what I did....

Which is why Mike let me know that his driver side is wet.