Louisiana Part One [Speeding Ticket]

Louisiana Part One

During the 1990s and my first marriage, we used to vacation often. I made good money back then, and my wife made even more. We traveled a lot and visited her dad’s family in Louisiana whenever possible.

Even though I’ve lived in Colorado and Montana nearly all of my life, I still love the south. Everything down south is different. Compared to the rest of the country, the south feels like another world to me. Things move slower, and people are more relaxed.

Two experiences from Louisiana stand out from my other memories. This piece is about one of those. I’ve always believed that we narrowly escaped injury or worse.

It was the summer of 1991, and my wife was pregnant with my daughter. On this particular trip to the south, we did not fly, but instead rented a car for two weeks and drove from Denver to DeQuincey, Louisiana. I miss those road trips with the mother of my children. Those were good times.

I remember being behind the wheel that day, following behind several other cars. We were all speeding. Being the last car in a line of cars, I was the one that the State Trooper pulled over that sunny day. I received a standard speeding ticket.

After wrapping things up, he drove away first. I’ve always believed that the Trooper headed in the same direction that I had been traveling, but now 30 years later, that detail is a little fuzzy. I waited a few minutes before pulling back on to the Interstate.

My pregnant wife and I pulled back on to the highway and continued towards our destination. After about fifteen or twenty minutes we came upon an accident, including a head-on collision. The same cars we had been following were all involved in a pile-up. If I had not been pulled over, we would have undoubtedly been included in the chaos.

The officer that pulled us over was not at the scene. It turns out my speeding ticket was not in the system. A few months later, my beautiful daughter was born, and I became a father for the first time. My children are the greatest achievement and greatest love of my life. 

Joseph Shanklin

July 31, 2020