EVIDENCE

In my early twenties, I moved to Salt Lake City, UT. I returned home on occassion for weddings and family events. On one on my trips to North Dakota, I was listening to a testimony of a old time preacher. He spoke of a time when he was in New Salem and the supernatural things that happened to him while he was there. People came up to him and told him that they could see two big men on each side of him when he could not see anyone. These two beings seem to be there for his protection. I thought to myself, "How cool it would be to have and know that you have even one guardian angel watching over you". I arrived at my destination and attended the wedding I came for. It was on my return trip that I will never forget.

I am traveling down the Highway not even listening to radio. Being a little tired of my own conversation, silence filled the car. I came to the last pass before Salt Lake City, UT. The traffic had literally come to a stop. You could see that a semi-truck had jack-knifed across the two lanes of a four lane highway due to ice. As I waited patiently for the traffic to move, a guy jumped in my car. In Justifying his action, he stated that he was hitch-hiking with the car in front of me. After seeing me traveling alone, he came to meet me. While he was rattling on, My thoughts were more focus. "stupid, stupid!" I envisioned tomorrow's newspaper heading to read, "North Dakota girl, killed because she did not lock her doors!" The fear and reality of my mistake was at it's height when...

My spiritual meditation was broken by a knock on the driver side window. My heart jumped and skipped a couple of beats. I turned to set my eyes on a highway patrol man wearing a light khaki brown older wool uniform. It reminded me of a band uniform that went bad. He was tall, slender and physically fit in shape. His eye were predominately a soft gentle brown. Some how I found comfort for a second looking into them until the uninvited guest sitting next to me in the passager seat spoke. The officer informed me that he saw the passenger get into my car of his own accord and he wanted to know if I was alright. Alright, he has to be kidding? What do you do? Say no and my guest will stab or shoot me before I can exit the blocked door? Say yes and I am left alone to face the current fate playing out it's plan.

As I sneaked a double dip of the rolling of the eyes, I said, "I am ok" followed by a slight knod of the head toward my guest's direction. The officer directed his next statement more to the guest than me except, I found a strange comfort in the end. He glanced back & forth; forth between the occupant of the seat next to me and myself, he spoke with great authority the words: I will be watching you!. My unintimidated guest noticed that my car was on "E" (lucky me!) and the only gas station was at the next exit before Salt Lake. I suggested that he leave before the officer gets upset. He reluctantly left with plans of getting back into the car at the gas station where I needed to stop. I lunged to lock my door and I slumped back in my seat taking a deep breath. My breathing exercise stop when the thought came to me to Thank the involved officer. I turned to look where he stood firmly before and he had vanished. While I was scanning the area, the traffic moved forward past the over turned semi truck and an officer. I stopped to thank the officer for the help provided by his partner. I tried to explain to him, but he wouldn't listen completely. He stated that He was the only officer that responded to the accident and if I didn't keep moving, He would give me a souvenir called a ticket. I slowly rolled up my window and moved forward.

I know there was another officer, he had that brown uniform. I pondered further on the cantankerous short round officer who had a blue shinny uniform made from a more modern material. Could it be? No, way!

The exit to the gas station was approaching fast. Now, what am I going to do? Maybe? You are nuts to think? If? The car with the invader pulled to the right on the off ramp and something in me said, "Give God a try-trust him". Just as the diagonal white lines came, I pulled back on the Freeway glancing at the leading car carrying a passanger pounding on the rear window with his fist while the car traveled down the off ramp. God carried me through the mountain pass and into Salt Lake City while the tank was still on "E". I pulled into the first gas station where an attendant told me I had to be on fumes because my tank took more gallons than he thought was possible for a 1980 pinto. I replied, " I owed someone a few gallons".
By Jackie