I’d been driving since cajun country in Lafayette, Louisiana.  Outside of Houston I was feeling really tired so I pulled off the Interstate.  Just as I turned into the neighborhood I thought to myself, “this is stupid.”  I drove past small homes that appeared well taken care of but this was not the place to pull over and crash.  There were no cars parked on the street so I would have looked conspicuous. 

    After a few blocks I came to a small intersection where I went to take a u-turn.  At the same time a pick up truck came from another direction.  I let him pass first.  As I took my u-turn, he did a three point turn out of someone’s driveway.  I drove on.  He tailed me.

    For about a block he was right behind me before he started flashing his brights.  This wasn’t good.

    With the freeway in sight I took a right onto the road that led to the on ramp.  The pickup swung to my side and the guy motioned for me to roll down the window.  Probably a bad idea, but I stopped and rolled my window down.

    The conversation we shared was among the strangest I’ve had in my life.  We shared the same language but it seemed the words had different meanings to each of us.  When I rolled down the window he looked past me.

    “Oh, I thought you had someone else in there.  You trying to find something?” he asked. 

    “I’m just trying to get back to the freeway” I said. 

    This seemed to almost relieve him a little bit. 

    “Oh, you’re going the right way.  Just keep on this road.”  He then asked me something I didn’t understand.  After asking “what?” twice he put his fingers to his lips.  He was asking if I had a cigarette.

    “No, sorry, I don’t smoke.” 

    Was he really asking me if I had a cigarette or was this some kind of code?  Whatever it was he was finished with me and his demeanor was friendlier.  He leaned back and told me again that I was going the right way.  “Be careful” was his sign off to me.  He said it earnestly too.

    I rolled up the window and pressed on.  I wasn’t sure what that was all about but I was sure that I was tired and beginning to do stupid things.  I continued West to Houston with nothing but an address for the Lakewood Church.