"WOW! Look out Jerry there's another one," I practically scream as my friend gently taps on the brakes and swerves around the car attempting to cut into our lane. "Where did all the crazy drivers come from today?" I asked, more to myself than Jerry; however, Jerry shrugged his shoulders, and I expected him to say, "I don't know," but instead, he said, "welcome to my cloud."
I hadn't known Jerry for very long; he was a single guy who had purchased a home in the same neighborhood where Linda and I lived. We had met through a church function and instantly hit it off as neighbors and two guys trying to move forward in the world. Jerry was studying for an advancement test in the fire department, and I was looking at the tests required for a new career with life insurance. Jerry was single, and I was married with two young girls. Jerry had moved to Oklahoma from Arizona, and I had moved from Utah.
Both of us loved basketball, and when Jerry told me there was a pick-up game every Saturday morning, I quickly asked if I could join. We were on our way to our first Saturday morning games. "What cloud?" I had asked, and Jerry had quickly pointed toward another car that cut in front of us uncomfortably close. "That cloud," he had replied.
Now everyone has to dodge the occasional driver on the road. Most of us have been caught in situations where we have misjudged speed or distance. And we were grateful when the other driver could respond with grace allowing two cars to pass nearby without collision; however, this ride was proving to exist at a different level. "It can't be this bad all the time." I pointed out. Jerry just nodded as he kept his eyes glued to the road. Finally, we rounded a turn to find a bicycle riding in the middle of our lane.
By the time we arrived at the church, my nerves were gone. "Holy Cow, that was intense," I said as I climbed out of the car and tipped the seat forward to grab my gear. "You get used to it." But, unfortunately, that was all he said, and he was right. Jerry and I would stay close friends for years, and his "cloud," would become a legend. I have never met anyone who received more incorrect food orders from restaurants and had more close calls in sports, including softball, golf, and our regularly scheduled basketball games.
We went on a trip to Scotland together. I know that travel delays occur; however, we had several delays even when other flights going in the same direction all made perfect time: transfer issues, bus ride problems, and train delays due to mechanical issues. What always surprised me was, over the years, I had seen my best friend take it all in stride as he worked from a lowly private in the fire department to the captain of an advanced rescue team.
When Jerry retired, I breathed a sigh of relief that he had made it through 30 years as a firefighter without a significant injury. I figured karma had balanced his scales pretty accurately, granting him safety at work while he dodged idiots on his own time.
Written November 10, 2022