Three overtimes later, Barney Clayton was out of his “Fargo Fangboy” costume, out of the arena, and into the parking lot mockingly referred to as “I-29.”

He still had two hours to make it to his Aunt Clara’s house. Barney’s cousin, Jill, had texted him at halftime. Jill invited her friend, Amy, to New Year’s. Barney remembered Amy as the hottest girl in Jill’s wedding, so his pre-New Year’s resolution was to be standing next to her when midnight struck and it was time for the Clayton traditional first kiss of the year.

Thirty minutes later traffic finally started to move. Barney got a couple of miles when he spotted a woman standing at the side of the road. There was no car parked near her and no off-ramps for a couple of miles in either direction. It was just her… and the cane held in her hand.

Curiosity got the best of Barney and he pulled over next to her. Rolling down his window, he asked, “Excuse me, miss. Are you okay? Do you need to get somewhere?”

The woman stared past him. “Do you?” she asked.