-----On
the way home to Dallas one afternoon from deep in the heart of Longhorn
country, my friend and I felt the restful solitude of an empty Texas
highway. We were somewhat drifting, unaware of the vast expanse
of land that surrounded us. Like a total silence to which one is
oblivious until startled by a sudden outburst, our attention was
charged this afternoon by the sudden approach of a speeding car.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the car was rapidly gaining on us as we
watched in disbelief. To further break the silence, we noticed the
vehicle had a customized horn that repeatedly blasted a familiar
tune. Well . . . at least I thought it was familiar . . . at least
to me.
-----My friend,
an avid University of Texas Longhorn fan, took note of the tune
he heard. "They're playing 'Boomer Sooner, they're playing
'Boomer Sooner!!!'." [For the uninformed - "Boomer Sooner"
is the fight song of Texas' arch-rival the University of Oklahoma.]
As the car approached - in a fit of anxiety, and for no apparent
reason - my friend hit the accelerator. Now we found ourselves running
side-by-side with an unknown car at approximately ninety miles per
hour. I felt as though I had entered the twilight zone. In the first
place, why did my friend, Mr. Longhorn himself, not recognize that
the tune we were hearing was "The Eyes of Texas?" Secondly,
why would a lone car be speeding down a lonely highway in the "Lone
Star" state, decked out in U.T. stickers, signs, and pennants,
blasting "The Eyes of Texas," when no athletic event had
been played for weeks? In fact, school wasn't even in session. My
third puzzlement - why would my chauffeur feel compelled to pound
the accelerator to the floor, matching wits with these obviously
crazed college students? And finally - as the car passed us we saw
that the occupants were not college students at all, but rather
a couple at least twenty years our elders.
-----I managed
to inform my friend that the tune he was hearing was indeed friendly
fire and that we were in no danger of an enemy invasion. His embarrassed
laughter at realizing his mistake lightened his mood, but not his
right foot. We were still bolting down the highway flashing the
famous "hook-em-horns" to a couple of total strangers.
-----A few minutes
later, inhibition took over - or maybe it was common sense - and
he reduced his speed, allowing the other vehicle to speed away into
a burnt orange sunset. We laughed at ourselves and marveled in disbelief
at what we had just experienced. After a few moments of laughter,
the excitement vanished as quickly as it had come and we found ourselves
once again drifting on the vast sea of the Texas highway.
© 2004 - The Trill House |