home for the holidays (scene 1)

intro - home for the holidays
well folks.... i'm in mt.carmel - the small dot on the southern illinois map, defined as the center of drama for the universe. believe it or not, it's true... all drama radiates from this quaint community.

scene 1 - the trip home
[setting: pitch black country road, approx 20 miles from home. no street lights, center line, or phone signal. ]

i've been driving very slowly and cautiously ever since i got off the interstate... it's deer season. (one of my biggest fears is to hit a buck, and have it trapped in my windshield, still alive and kicking. i picture myself screaming as this animal tries to free itself, both of us covered in fur and deer guts. ugh) i've been very lucky so far to not see a single pair of glowing eyes the entire trip, but i don't let down my guard. as i turn off of one nameless road onto the next, i hear the gravel being thrown in attempt to speed up.... but the skidding noise does not end. i soon realize that i am not gaining any speed at all, but rather remaining at an annoyingly slow pace. the thought occurs, "please, don't let it be a flat tire". unfortunately, my fear became reality.

i pull over to a non-existant shoulder, half of my car still on the dark road, and check to make sure. i'm freezing by this point, so i return to my vehicle and grab my cell phone. "oh wait, i've never gotten a signal on this road before." i perform the stereotypical 'can you hear me now' process, and finally one point on the passenger side allows 1 bar to appear. on speaker-phone, i call the call of shame... "daddy, come pick me up".

no cars. no lights. nothing. just me and my kitties (the cougar and the princess). while waiting, my imagination starts to go wild of the slasher movies, so i start preparing myself for what i would do if someone tried to snatch me. i call a number of friends from the same awkward spot in my passenger side until someone picks up... a boy for security sake (and to make sure it isn't harmful to leave my car on).

my dad and 2 uncles show up to help me out.... but the MD, PhD, and MBA don't really include 'how to change a tire 101'. it's dark and cold, so we leave the car abandoned on the side of the road to get it the next day.

i get home a little frazzled, cold, and slightly embarrassed. i eat a warm dinner and catch up with the fam... and i begin to think, "this is only day 1".