The Single Guy and the Frozen Road

The Single Guy had heard a lot of panicky descriptions of a coming snow and ice weather system that would cause the Raleigh area to grind to a halt. This is fairly typical for eastern North Carolina. Whenever winter weather happens to appear inside a meteorologist's crystal ball, the locals tend to go crazy. Without a cloud in the sky and only the mere mention of a snow possibility, schools were delayed and grocery stores had a run on milk and bread. When these reports come out, the Single Guy tends to laugh in disbelief. Mostly he doesn't want to get his hopes up. He's one of those rare people in North Carolina who actually enjoys the winter.

Unexpectedly, the meterologists got one right. During the early, frozen hours of the morning, the snow began to fall. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to make school closing decisions good ones. The snow became sleet. The sleet became freezing rain. And the Single Guy was still expected to arrive at work on time. Challenge accepted.

The Single Guy spent a lot of time in Bluefield, Virginia. Bluefield is the type of place that generally experiences two seasons each year: Winter and August. Sure, he walked away from his college experience with two bachelor's degrees. But, more importantly, he came away with the skill and ability to maneuver an automobile in the most treacherous of winter precipitation. Snow? Piece of cake. Sleet? Bring it on. Ice? Okay, that makes him a little nervous, but it's really not a big deal. The Single Guy takes to these conditions like an ice road trucker.

He left his apartment early, giving himself some extra time to drive on the dangerous icy roads. Common sense told him that he would need to drive slowly. That same common sense told him that there would be a lot of stupid people on the road with him, people who would not have the common sense to slow down, people who would be the cause of countless fender benders and stalled cars.

On the way to the bank, he came across a line of cars that were stopped for no apparent reason. As it turns out, this line of cars was led by a driver that had no confidence in his ability to drive up a subtle incline. Eventually, that driver got himself turned around and left the difficult hill. When the Single Guy arrived at the hill, he knew it would be no problem. Sure it was slick. Yes, it was covered in ice. But he knew he could build up speed at the bottom and use that momentum to carry him all the way to the top. Problems would only arise if he were to slow down or even tap the brake. The Single Guy knows never to do these things when driving up an icy hill.

And so, the Single Guy arrived at work on time and in one piece. It's a good thing, too. It's really important to open up the bank for all the people who won't brave the snow and ice to come make their deposits.