by Laurie Bosley, 2003 copyright. All rights reserved.
My mom was always a fast driver. In fact, it was not unusual for the tires on our car to squeal as she drove the curvy roads that led to and from our home. With each squeal, she’d murmur something about dad needing to check the brakes again, never suspecting that maybe she simply needed to slow down.
It was on one of these all too familiar car rides home that an argument broke out. As Esther, Aaron, and I bickered back and forth amongst each other, we didn’t realize how upset my mom was getting. She fussed and told us a few times to stop picking on each other, but we were all worked up and ignored her. Well this really got mom revved up and I do mean that literally. The more we ignored her, the madder she got. The madder she got, the faster she drove.
Busy arguing, we weren’t aware of how fast we were going until mom took a fast left-hand turn. As the wheels screeched and squealed, we were suddenly thrown up against each other on the far right side of our vehicle. As we looked at each other with eyes full of terror, we were horrified as we realized that we were taking this turn on only two wheels! Smashed up against each other, time seemed to stand still – it too seemed frozen with fear. As we stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, the car abruptly settled back on all four tires again.
Well, as you can imagine, no one made a peep after that, although, I did sing the Hallelujah Chorus in my mind several times. As I looked over at Esther I could tell she was whispering silent prayers to God, begging him to protect us. Aaron seemed too stunned to even move. We were all too shook up to do anything except to sit there in absolute silence. Mom didn’t say a word about her stunt either. I think she was just as shocked as we were, because she started driving a lot slower after that.
Luckily, she kept that slower pace until we were parked safely in our driveway. As we mutely filed out of the car, I could have kissed the ground! From the looks of relief on everyone’s faces, I could tell that we all were glad to be safely home.
After that day, we rarely fought in the car if my mom was driving. We didn’t ever want a replay of that experience any time in the future. To this day, mom still drives a little too fast, and the tires still occasionally squeal as we go around the curves. With each squeal, we all hold our breath and think back over all the NASCAR moves our mom has made over the years. As we reminisce, I think of another day that is parked in our memories forever.
