God as my witness, I was not "three sheets to the wind," but I could not believe my eyes. I really had to do a double-take and there was no denying what I saw. I was riding shotgun in the General's car when a strange looking white car passed us on the right. There was a black round gizmo or whatchamacallit on the roof of the vehicle. It did not appear aerodynamic and I thought it looked strange.
I know drugstore cowboys that wear a Stetson hat whenever they go out, and they've done so for so long that they would seem out of character not to be crowned with their hat. Maybe the round whatchamacallit was an undersized hat for the vehicle. Okay, so I'm grasping at straws.
The car was a regular midsize vehicle without anyone inside. Did you catch that? There was not a person behind the steering wheel (assuming it had a steering wheel) and there was no one in the passenger seats. The car was empty!
By the way, "three sheets to the wind" is a term that comes from sailing. "To be 'three sheets to the wind' is to be drunk. The sheet is the line that controls the sails on a ship. If the line is not secured, the sail flops in the wind, and the ship loses headway and control. If all three sails are loose, the ship is out of control."
No sooner had my jaw dropped open with disbelief after seeing an empty driverless car, than another identical vehicle passed us on the right. It, too, was an empty vehicle adding to the quagmire of traffic in Austin.
I've told the story before, so I'll provide you a cliff notes version. It was around 10:00 p.m. and I was headed to my hotel in downtown Houston when I stopped for a traffic light. The traffic light appeared to be stuck. There were people spilling out of a nightclub and the sidewalk was crowded. My car was near the curb. Even with the windows of my car raised, I could hear the music coming from the establishment.
My jaw dropped open when both doors on the passenger side of my car were opened by a guy that seemed to know what he was doing. Two ladies got in the back seat and the man who had opened the doors got in the front seat. Somehow, that didn't seem quite right to me.
When the man fastened his seatbelt, I asked: "Can you help me understand what is going on?" He looked at me and said: "You're not Uber?"
I denied that my name was Uber and told him my name was Don. In less time that it takes to say, "Abracadabra," I was once again the lone occupant in my vehicle. I didn't know anyone could get out of a vehicle so quickly. The former passengers seemed to be in a sense of panic.
According to Kevin, my son-in-law who was driving, "WAYMO" is an upscale alternative to Uber. The cost associated to WAYMO isn't related to distance, but the length of time you are in the vehicle. Having a driver is not an option. A driver is not needed.
I have a close friend whose great grandfather, a successful rancher, bought a horseless carriage (aka: Model T) and when he turned to go through a gate, he yelled "Whoa" and pulled back on the steering wheel. The horseless carriage busted through the gate. My friend's great grandfather never drove the Model T again.
Let me assure you, if you see me in a WYMO, you can rest assured that I've "fallen off the wagon" and I am "three sheets to the wind."
All My Best!
Don
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