The Great Race

does anyone else out there race other commuters to or from work? i myself have my own version of the "5 o'clock 500".

the past couple of weeks during my 14 mile drive to work. i have noticed a new commuter. it is a kid who can't be over 20. he drives a big red chevy avalanche and tows a trailer with two lime green dirt bikes strapped to it. evidently we are both creatures of habit because i have seen him almost every day.

i am typically one of the faster drivers that make the commute from lewisville to Irving. if the speed limit is 35, i go 45. if it is 45, i go 60. nothing really close to the speed limit. i don't drive my car like a bat out of hell, and i do adjust my speed based upon previously observed patterns of the local police.

this kid in his big red trailer towing truck makes me look like a grandpa driving down the road. if i'm going 45, he is going 55. if i'm going 60, he is going 70. even though he drives his truck like i know he rides his dirt bike we always end up neck and neck due to the number of lights and cars we have to navigate through. my knowledge of the lights, traffic patterns and the size of my car allow me to constantly catch up and pass the kid. while he gets stuck in the wrong lane or hits the light too soon and has to stop, but his lead foot helps him keep up with and pass me repetitively. it is like the classic story of the tortoise and the hare, but the speed of the rabbit doesn't stand a chance against the skill and patients of the tortoise.

i know he is aware of what is going on. i can tell by the way he drives and looks at my car in his rearview mirrors. i think he enjoys the game of cat and mouse since he obviously races bikes. at the same time i think it frustrates him that he can't get rid of me until i get to my work. i even out right beat him two days this week.