Call Me Lucky!
Who knows what part fate plays in our daily lives. Some would say everything, others would say nothing. But even an old fool like me knows a miracle when he sees it. But I digress… It was a chilly February morning when I pulled out of the TravelLodge in Santee South Carolina. At 7:21 am I filled my coffee cup and headed north on I-95 for the 9 hour trip home. It was a little hazy but the traffic was light and I settled in for a long day on the road. I had just taken my second sip when I saw a black spot on the highway up ahead. It was right on the centerline. A few seconds later I guessed it to be a bird of some kind, maybe a crow having breakfast. I figured he would just fly away when I approached. But he didn’t. Instead, the black spot started to move down the centerline towards me. It wobbled like a drunk. I slowed a little now wondering what this was. As I got closer I could see the little face, with it’s mouth open, crying. I was stunned when those little eyes looked right at me. I felt like a lightning bolt had hit me. It shot down my leg and my foot hit the brake as if by reflex. I slid off the road and looked in my rear view mirror. I saw the lights bearing down on the little black fur ball in the middle of the road. I slammed the car in reverse and shot backward about 100 feet along the shoulder. Just as I got out the first pair of lights flew past. I looked for the little eyes and soon found them on the inside part of the left lane. They looked at me and she started to move. I thought, Oh no! she’s going to try to cross over to me. My stomach turned upside down and my heart almost broke. But she fell over trying to get up, giving me the chance to dash through the traffic and scoop her up. She was crying when I held her and as soon as I told her it would be ok she stopped and went to sleep in my arms. I laid her on the front passenger seat and sat there wondering what in the world just happened. Call it fate, or a miracle, or just coincidence. But that’s how Lucky came into my life.
P.S. I have since given her the formal name of Florence Lucky Anderson since we met just south of the Florence, SC exit on I-95.
