The Calm Before The Storm

Okay, so last time, I had us on the road -- specifically I-35--and we were headed north. We were going to get to Winfield that night if it killed us.(1)

It was going to be a hard trip, we knew. According to Google, it is a five hour, 348 mile (560+ kilometer) drive. But, it was only a little after 2pm, so we figured that...factoring in stops to go to the bathroom, switch drivers, and get dinner...we’d still manage to get Judy to her apartment and us to our hotel by no later than 11pm. Okay, maybe midnight, but that would be tops.

So we drove. Texas goes on forever, it seems. The afternoon rolled on. Then we were in Oklahoma. We kept going north. It was dusk. Still, there was lots more Oklahoma to go. Then it was dark. Then it was night. Then it was eight o’clock.

About the photos: I don’t have any shots of us driving in the wilds of Oklahoma on this particular trip, but I do have photos of us in Oklahoma during our various trips to Winfield. First, here’s Martha looking mischievous while having a bite of lunch at the Kumback cafe in Perry, OK. (Not bad food, actually. Give it a shot if you’re in town.)

Second, the Sinclair gas station in Perry. There were hardly any in New England when we lived there. But it turns out there are quite common in the middle west. I have always loved the dinosaur.

Third, Martha and Judy at the Bald Farmer fruit and flower stand in Newkirk, OK. That was in 2024.

We realized we were hungry. By then, we were in Oklahoma City and we exited the highway. Here, we found it difficult to find a place to eat. Everything was closed. It *was,* after all, Saturday night at eight o’clock. But, finally, we tracked down a Fuzzy’s Taco restaurant that was open. We’d never eaten at a Fuzzy’s Taco before.(2) But, our luck with food that trip was holding. It turned out to be pretty good. And the staff was helpful and friendly. So, if there is ever a Fuzzy’s in the Georgetown area, we’ll probably visit it.

While we were eating, my phone buzzed. Then Martha’s phone buzzed. Then Judy’s phone buzzed.

I checked. There was a “severe storm watch” near our area.

Uh-Oh.

We considered. What should we do? Well, it was only “near” our area, not in it. And you know how these forecasts are. Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes they’re not. And we were pretty close to Winfield, actually. Only about 150 miles. That’s uh, what? 235 kilometers. If we drove sixty miles an hour, that’s only a couple/three hours away. We could make that. Probably we’d be in Winfield even before the rain started.

So, we finished our meals, and then headed out the car.

I glanced up. It was jet black above us. Not a star in the sky. Nothing but the stygian dark. Except...every few seconds, the sky would light up! From horizon to horizon, it would be bright as day.

Lightning flashes. Enormous, vast, lightning flashes.

Oh!

I wondered if we shouldn’t find a hotel and stay the night. But...but...well, we didn’t hear any thunder, which meant the lightning was still relatively far away. And Winfield was SO close. Just up the road. We’d be there at midnight. We’d probably outrun the rain. Wouldn’t we?

We all climbed into the car. It was my turn to drive. We headed out. I did a left. Then a right. Then we were on I-35. Traffic was moderate, but the speed was good. We were doing fine.

No problems, we told ourselves. This was going to be an easy drive.

And then...and then...we must have gone about forty miles, maybe fifty...

When we started hearing...

The thunder.

More to come.

Footnotes

1. Maybe not the expression we should have used.

2. Fuzzy’s Tocas corporate web page is here: https://fuzzystacoshop.com/

And, finally a small video showing what is to come.

Copyright©2025 Michael Jay Tucker

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