Dual

After coming to the US for graduate studies, it didn't me take me any time at all to realize that I was interested in all things Americana. The music. The movies. The newspapers and magazines. Football and baseball.  Politics. 

Sometimes it seemed that my doctoral program was more about learning about the US than about the PhD itself.

One of the movies that I watched--in reruns, of course--was Duel.  The cast was minimal.  A huge truck was the villain.  It was a unique and fascinating movie. 

I am yet to meet anyone in the real world who liked Duel.  In fact, most people seem unaware of this movie!

I was reminded of the movie earlier this morning when I was driving to campus.

The roads were wet, and there was an occasional drizzle.  Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared a semi with a trailer too, with a full load of freshly sawed hefty wooden beams.  The image filled my rear view mirror.

The truck engine's noise and the smoke from the exhaust pipes brought back memories of the sounds in Duel.  I was all set for that terrible horn, which, thankfully, the driver didn't use.  At least, I didn't have to worry about any railroad crossing!

I thought I had gotten rid of the monster when I overtook a slow-moving car on the rural road.  I took comfort that it was the vehicle behind me that was being tailgated by a fully-loaded semi that was travelling at the speed limit.

But then, the car behind me exited.  The truck was now catching up on me.

Did I want the truck behind me until I reached my destination? 

I am not wired for being macho, and definitely not on the road.  My defensive driving approach has always been to avoid the idiots and hooligans who drive like maniacs.

I did what I do.  

I pulled over and let the truck pass me at 60 mph.

Have you ever parked on the shoulder and experienced the madness of a semi passing by at 60 mph?  It is a Halloween scare all by itself!

I gave the truck an additional minute before I resumed the drive.

It was, yet again, a leisurely drive that I have come to enjoy over the years.  Green all around, with hills at a distance.  Hawks on telephone polls.

While the sky ahead was dark, the sun slowly lit up the sky behind with a brilliant yellow that was soft and cool.

A rainbow started appearing in the horizon ahead of me.

It started as a patch close to the ground.  That patch grew and curved.  And it grew some more.  And then it brightened.  The colors became sharper and sharper against a darkening background.  The curve lengthened.  The colors were simply splendid.

And then it happened.

A second rainbow.

Now there were two arcs.  One was ultra-bright, and the second was dull.  And they were on either side of the highway.

I didn't want the drive to end.