Now I Know What 'Highway Robbery' Means

I traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico in July with a co-worker named Tammy. She drove to the airport. After our plane landed back in Salt Lake City, we jumped in her car and headed north. I was eager to get home after another week away. Not ten minutes after leaving the airport (where I-215 merges with I-15, near the refinery), wouldn't you know it, we get a flat tire. We hear this very loud noise and Tammy asks, "What was that?" I tell her it's a flat tire and we pull over. So, it's just us two women on the side of the interstate with a flat tire. Tammy starts calling people for help and start trying to change the tire.



Tammy was driving her sister's car. It's an early-eighties era Ford Crown Victoria. What I know now that I didn't know then is that the hubcaps have a key. I tried for, like, 20 minutes to get that stupid hubcap off with no luck. I expressed my frustration with alternate swear words and tears. Tammy didn't have AAA (although she does now) but she finally got a hold of the Highway Patrol who said they would send out someone.



Before the Highway Patrol arrived, the nicest truck driver stopped and offered to help. It was him and his wife driving from Payson to the Wal-Mart in Layton. I wish I could thank them over and over. At the same time the truck driver stopped in front of our car, another car stopped behind us.



Just as the truck driver and his wife were the nicest people we could ever meet, the two guys in the other car were the creepiest. As they stopped the car, the driver pulled a hoody up over his head and slouched down low in the seat. It was very clear he didn't want to be seen. The passenger got out of the car and then reached back for something under the seat. I'm certain it was a weapon. (Later, as I was recounting the story to my police-officer husband, he tells me the guy was probably just stashing his pot.) I am on high-alert. Their car has no license plate and the driver's actions really made me suspicious.



So, the nice truck driver and the creepy guy change the tire (they knew all about the hubcap key, which was in the glove box). The truck driver leaves and the creepy guy hangs around while we put all our stuff back in the trunk. After the truck driver is gone, Creepy Guy tells us we'll be giving him our money! No wonder he waited around for the truck driver to leave. I told him I didn't have any cash. He told us he would follow us to the nearest gas station where we could then fill up his car with gas and buy him lunch using our credit cards. We were scared and felt like we had no choice so we agreed. Plus, there would be a lot more witnesses at the gas station then out on the highway where cars were whizzing by at 70 mph.



We got in the car and drove to the next exit. While driving there, I called my husband on the cell phone and told him what was going on. He told me not to get out my wallet or my credit card in front of the guy. He told us to give the guy any cash we had and to leave. Tammy and I searched our wallets and came up with $28 between us, mostly ones. I folded it up so it looked like more money than it was. As we pulled up to the gas station, we decided that Tammy would pull up right in front of the convenience store and stay in the car. I would get out of the car, give the guy the cash, and then we would leave as quick as we could. Tammy was ready to honk the horn should anything start to seem odd. I walked over to the Creepy Guy (who had pulled up to a gas pump) and told him that I only had $28 but he could have it all and do whatever he wanted with it. I turned to walk away and he followed me, put his arm around me, and started dragging me back to our car. I remember looking at a man coming out of the convenience store and just trying so hard to portray to him that I was not OK. Apparently, he didn't get my message. I guess I have to practice sending messages using only eye contact. Creepy Guy leaned in the car and told Tammy to meet him at Discount Tire. We agreed, I got in the car, and we drove off. I told Tammy to go anywhere but Discount Tire!



We couldn't go far or fast because we had the donut on the car, so we ended up at a Big-O Tire about 10 minutes north of the gas station. They took one look at the tires and told us we would have to replace all four. The car only has about 30,000 miles on it, so even though it's old it hasn't seen much driving time. The tires were original and apparently they were just shredding and falling apart.



Chris showed up to pick me up and I've never been so happy to be in my own car. It took me about five hours to get home from the airport that day (it should have taken only an hour). I feel like we were robbed but Chris says we were scammed. Whatever. We were scared and it felt like we were robbed so I told him that's how we were gonna tell the story! Like I said at the beginning, now I know what Highway Robbery means.



The people I work with have been embellishing the story and we've decided that when Creepy Guy bent down to get something from under his seat, it was probably a very large machete! I'm glad we can laugh about it now because it was sure scary then.



So, if any of you see a gray Dodge Neon with no license plates and trunk tied down with string out there on the road being driven by a shady guy with a hoody and a creepy passenger, please feel free to run them off the road!