THE GRAY SHARK

Life is full of random edits.

I left the office tonight 15 minutes or so later than usual. My family is in Japan for a month, so there is less imperative to get home for dinner by 6:15.

The area around my building was crawling with traffic, so I made a right turn where I normally make a left. This led me to a large traffic circle.

Cars were backed up a bit along the circle, and I waited for a light to change ahead of me, so that things would unclog and clear the way for me to circumnavigate my way around.

As I sat there, a dark gray Range Rover pulled up next to me. I powered down my passenger-side window when I saw the driver gesturing at me.

“Do you know the nearest place to get gas? I'm really low.”

I explained to him the route to the nearest station, which was maybe a mile or so down the road.

“I'm almost empty. Is there anywhere closer?”

I shook my head, and wished him luck as the light turned green. He would need to get in my lane to follow my directions, so I found it a little curious when he said “You go,” and waved a hand over his side-view mirror.

I began to make my way around the circle, and noticed immediately that he was behind me. I turned off the circle, to head for the avenue that would take me to the beltway, and he made the same turn.

I did not think too much about it at this point. I figured that he had made a strange decision, given his apparently dire gas situation, but people make strange decisions all the time.

I made some incidental lane changes as I went down the road, and I took notice of the fact that he mirrored my changes precisely. My grip on the wheel grew tighter.

I came to a red light, and he pulled up next to me again. He mumbled something about needing gas, and I said “You have to make a right here.”

“I'm going to keep following you,” he said, and I saw vacant menace in his eyes. He now had a small ragged white towel wrapped around the steering wheel.

“I'm not going anywhere near a gas station,” I said. I left the stop line in a hurry when the light changed.

Sure enough, he worked his way behind me. We were heading for the beltway.

I took out my cell phone and flipped it open right up by my ear. I pantomimed pressing a few numbers, and moved my lips as if in conversation for about 15 seconds, pointing periodically to the Range Rover behind me.

I folded the phone, and made the left turn that would take me to the beltway. He stayed close behind me.

When I hit the entrance ramp, I accelerated dramatically, in an effort to put some cars between us. It worked momentarily, but he sped around any slower cars and resumed his place behind me. I made a couple of other evasive moves, but they all had the same end result.

I had at this point seen enough to convince me that some other action was needed. I called 911 and narrated my situation to three different people, the last of whom was a cop.

“I'm coming up to my regular exit. Should I get off here, or keep going?”

He told me to get off, and began explaining how I should navigate the cloverleaf traffic pattern I was about to enter, in an effort to shake the Range Rover from my tail.

I had to cross over a solid white line rather suddenly in order to make the exit, and the Range Rover did the same.

The cop told me to take the west-bound exit. I explained that this was my normal route home, so I was familiar with the area.

And suddenly, as I headed for the west-bound exit, the Range Rover veered quickly onto the east-bound ramp. I explained this to the cop, and then gave him a quick description of the vehicle.

For the rest of my drive, I kept one eye on the rear-view mirror, half expecting the Range Rover to pop up like a predatory shark...

As this evening goes on, I'm sure that I will eventually start to walk past windows without grinding my teeth a little. As this evening goes on, I'm sure that I will eventually stop stealing furtive looks at the street outside my house. As this evening goes on, I'm sure that I will eventually sleep.

Eventually...