Turbo Returns!
Posted by Bob Barcus on February 24th, 2013
We've been having plenty of snow and icy weather this winter in northern Indiana. You would think that people would be used to driving under these conditions. I've been driving in it for over 20 years and it's been basically unchanged in all that time - when the roads get icy or slushy, you need to slow down.
Well, a driver going south past my house on Friday apparently didn't get the memo. I happened to be walking down my sidewalk after just having let my cat outside. We were walking down the sidewalk when the mayhem was unleashed on the roadway. With tires screeching, the red Ford pickup truck skidded to a stop, but not before smashing into my mom's mailbox and getting stuck along the road. He was very fortunate that he didn't hit a tree or utility pole when he lost control. Even more-so, he was fortunate that he didn't collide head-on with another vehicle that was heading north. Had it been only a few seconds later, the accident would have been much worse.
Unaware of the condition of the driver, I ran to the scene of the accident - prepared to render aid if necessary. The driver was OK, but the post holding up my mom's mailbox didn't fair too well. Miraculously, the mailbox itself was undamaged.
At this same moment, my cat - which my friend Josh appropriately (and affectionately) nicknamed Turbo - simply freaked out. Unaccustomed to the screeching tires and crashing sounds, he was obviously quite scared. Like a streak of lightning, he bolted into the brush. This was around 4 or 5 pm on Friday.
I went to look for Turbo just after the accident, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I searched for him in the barns, poked around the firewood pile and called out his name multiple times, but my efforts were in vain. Friday night, he still hadn't returned. Saturday, I didn't go to the railroad museum because I had work to do at home. I looked for him yet again, but he was nowhere to be found. At this point, I was starting to get worried about Turbo. I went to bed Saturday night and he still hadn't come home.
This morning, I woke up and fully expected to see him waiting for me at the front door. I opened the door and I was disappointed when he wasn't there. Now I was getting really worried. I started searching for him again and I still couldn't find my Turbo kitty. I asked my mom and brother to keep an eye out for him, as this is pretty unusual for him to be gone for so long. While he stays outside when we have warmer weather, he's been staying inside because of the cold temperatures.
Just as I was getting ready to go to bed this evening, I decided to check my front door one last time. Much to my surprise, there he was! Turbo had come back home. I picked him up and gave him a good rub-down. I scratched his belly, as he would normally expect me to do, but he wasn't too interested. It seems that he was more interested in getting something to eat and I couldn't blame him. I'm just glad he made it home - safe and sound.