The Plague Diaries: Frigid Closing
We finally sold the house in Albion, and today was the much-delayed closing date. Naturally, after weeks of dry, warm weather, we got snow on the day we actually had a significant drive.
The roads were sloppy on the trip out. No biggie. We arrived at the title company and sat in the car until it was our turn to come inside to sign. That done, we had to stand outside in the frigid winter breeze to talk to the new owners about the house and things they should know about it. We got colder and colder, but we couldn't go inside to talk because COVID. Finally, the title company rep came out with our copies of the paperwork and we were able to leave.
The drive home turned immediately treacherous. The sun set, the temperature dropped into the low thirties, and the roads were wet from the earlier snow. We learned the hard way that bridges and overpasses were icing up. Darwin was driving when we went over a small bridge and the car jerked to one side for a moment before catching its grip again on the other side. This happened twice, so we cut speed to 45.
Then the train of accidents began.
An accident on this side of the road. An accident on that side. An accident over there. We passed a steady stream of rescue vehicles and their whirling lights. We passed one accident that must have happened mere moments before we arrived. One of the cars was upside-down, resting tilted on its windshield next to the median barrier. Lights and sirens were coming up behind us.
Darwin slowed down again and drove 40 for the rest of the trip. We made it home all right, but a bunch of people didn't.
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The roads were sloppy on the trip out. No biggie. We arrived at the title company and sat in the car until it was our turn to come inside to sign. That done, we had to stand outside in the frigid winter breeze to talk to the new owners about the house and things they should know about it. We got colder and colder, but we couldn't go inside to talk because COVID. Finally, the title company rep came out with our copies of the paperwork and we were able to leave.
The drive home turned immediately treacherous. The sun set, the temperature dropped into the low thirties, and the roads were wet from the earlier snow. We learned the hard way that bridges and overpasses were icing up. Darwin was driving when we went over a small bridge and the car jerked to one side for a moment before catching its grip again on the other side. This happened twice, so we cut speed to 45.
Then the train of accidents began.
An accident on this side of the road. An accident on that side. An accident over there. We passed a steady stream of rescue vehicles and their whirling lights. We passed one accident that must have happened mere moments before we arrived. One of the cars was upside-down, resting tilted on its windshield next to the median barrier. Lights and sirens were coming up behind us.
Darwin slowed down again and drove 40 for the rest of the trip. We made it home all right, but a bunch of people didn't.
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