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To better my driving skills, I took one of the most trusted and highly respected defensive driving courses here in my city.
I was a new driver, but I was a good driver. While I still didn't have all that much experience behind the wheel yet, I had driven numerous times on main streets and roads.
The various streets and roads that I had been driving on were very busy with a lot of traffic and large intersections. I had not however, driven all that much on the highway yet.
The only time I had driven on the highway up until that point and time, was one time with my driving teacher/instructor from the driving course. Which wasn't much experience though because I drove up the on-ramp, entered onto the highway, drove along on the highway for all of 5 minutes, made a lane change or two as instructed by teacher/instructor, and then exited off the highway as instructed.
The second time I drove on the highway, which again was for all of 5 minutes, was when I was being tested for my drivers license. So, because I hadn't had all that much experience, I was a bit nervous about it. I knew however that the only way to get more confident and get the experience, was to get out there and drive on the highway.
So, the day came when I decided that instead of taking side streets to get where I was going, I decided I would take the much faster route and take the highway.
It was early morning, and the morning rush hour had commenced. As I headed onto the highway I was really nervous, more nervous than I had anticipated I would be. I was trying to be a safe driver but felt a bit rattled by all of the speeding cars zipping past that were in a tremendous hurry to get wherever it was they needed to be.
There were many drivers who were zipping in and out of lanes without even signalling before making their lane changes. I had only been driving along on the highway for a few moments and yet I had already been cut off by a handful of vehicles.
To make matters worse, there was a huge truck behind me that was pretty much tailing me. He was following much too closely, despite the fact that I was doing as I had learned in my driving course, which was to "go with the flow", which meant I was driving about fifteen to twenty kilometres over the posted speed limit to keep up with everyone else.
I placed my foot gently on the brakes a few times so that my brake lights would come on and the truck behind me would get the hint and back off a bit. But, he didn't. He also had a few opportunities where he could have pulled out and gone around me but instead he chose to drive much too closely behind me. I was getting more nervous by the second. All I kept thinking is, "if I have to slam on my brakes, that guy is going to seriously slam into me."
I started to think that perhaps me driving on the highway wasn't such a great idea. I had a rosary in my car, hanging from my rear view mirror. I had a priest that I know very well bless it for me and pray that it serve as somewhat of a good luck charm and keep me safe at all times when in my car.
As my nerves were starting to get the worst of me I glanced at the rosary. I then said out loud, "God, I am really scared. Send me angel. Please keep me safe. Please."
A few seconds passed and I looked into my rear view mirror again to look at the truck that was tailing me. The truck however was gone. In its place, driving close behind me, but not too close was a black 4 x 4. I felt a flood of relief. I continued to drive along feeling much calmer.
Shortly however, I began to notice that any time a car attempted to pull in front of the 4 x 4 driving behind me, the driver would speed their 4 x 4 up closer to my vehicle so that no vehicle could get in there.
I also noticed, and found it rather odd that the 4 x 4 behind me had a windshield that was so darkly tinted, you couldn't see into the vehicle at all. While I wasn't completely sure if it was still in effect, I knew for certain that last I had heard, those types of darkly tinted windows were prohibited in the city here where I live. So because of that, you don't see vehicles around here that are that darkly tinted.
I continued driving along, all the while that black 4 x 4 remained close behind. After a few more moments of driving, I saw the exit where I needed to get off the highway. I signalled and proceeded to drive towards the exit. I looked into my rear view mirror and the 4 x 4 was still there heading off the exit with me. I was relived. I had driven on the highway for a good 30 minutes or so, and I had made it almost to where I had to go, safely.
I let out a big sigh of relief, grateful to the driver of the 4 x 4 from keeping any vehicles from getting behind me and following too closely. I looked into my rear view mirror again. This time however, the 4 x 4 was gone. I was surprised, I couldn't believe it. Where the hell did it go? The vehicle hadn't passed me, and there was nowhere along the road it could have gone.
There were no cut-offs or any exits off of this exit road that I had taken to get off the highway. The only place the driver could have gone was either beside me in the lane next to me, or in front of me if he passed me. Yet the 4 x 4 was nowhere to be seen.
I suddenly wondered, could it be? Is it possible that the 4 x 4 had been driven by a guardian angel? I wanted to believe it since it was so odd, but then that rational part of my mind told me no way. Yet it was all so odd, and I did pray for protection.
To this very day I still do not know what to believe. But, given the experience and some of the oddities about it, I can't help but believe that perhaps it really was an angel sent to keep me safe, and I am very grateful.
I have not experienced anything like that while driving ever since.
Copyright © 2013 A Haunted Life
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