I am getting tired of this. I know I should back off and let them work it out. I know all about enabling. Yet, they are my parents after all. I can’t sit on the sidelines. Oh well, I should arrive in a couple of hours. I have better things to do with my time. Maybe I can settle the battles early and get back home by midnight. Fat chance.
What was that shot? A huge banging sound and now I’m struggling with the wheel which seems to want to fly out of the car. I finally wrestled it into submission as I pulled off the road onto the exit ramp, which happily beckoned to me.
The sun greeted this emergency with a blazing red sunset. This typical over the top dramatic sunset is a Florida specialty. It must have been ordered by the Tourist Bureau. As the darkness descends I am becoming a bit unnerved. Out here alone. Too bad I forgot to charge my phone before the trip. Well, I did get the call- “Come quick” so I did have an excuse.
Luckily I waited only about 10 minutes before a car pulled over. A family of four was so helpful. I borrowed their phone and called triple A. They will be out in two hours. Best they can do. After accepting snacks and praising their kids’ drawings which they happily shared with me, they moved on to get back home by bedtime. What nice people. They seem so happy together. I wonder if it is just a show for this stranger by the road. No, they actually seem to like each other.
By the time the nice tow truck driver put on my toy tire, and warned me to drive slowly and get a new tire tomorrow, it was midnight and I still had a couple hours to go. To be honest, I really felt pretty good about this delay. This tire thing offered me a metaphorical and literal exit ramp. Let my brother and sister handle things for a while.
As I pulled closer to the old homestead, the flashing lights from several points ahead sent a chill down my spine. What have I done now? I should have gotten here somehow. After a few disorganized thoughts from my brother and sister, I was informed by the nice officer that Mom has taken a ride to the safe house. Dad sits sullen and hung over in the back seat of one of the patrol car, looking away from this scene.
A strange peace flowed over me. Maybe my higher power knows something about tires. Maybe there will be a new beginning ahead for all of us.
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I too chuckled about the “toy tire” and delayed service call. And interesting family situation at the conclusion.
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Florida does have spectacular sunsets and gives local color. I smiled about the children sharing their drawings. This time, there was a real crisis.
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I’m fascinated by all the different scenarios you’re all presented…and the ways that fate can intervene to resolve problems. My favorite part was the family that stopped by and that your character had time to praise the kids’ drawings! And the toy tire and that AAA took two hours (their ads indicate a much shorter time span)!
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