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In the distance
It was a hot sultry summer day. The humidity was high and the air heavy making it difficult to breathe. I had volunteered to drive my mom to dialysis because it was obvious she wasn’t feeling well. She accepted my invitation without any fuss which was unusual for her. Usually she demanded to drive herself. I could ride along, and she preferred I did…but it was her car, her appointment, and she was perfectly capable of getting there on her own power thank you very much.
Today was different. Not a good day, but she would never admit it. I was in my early 20’s at the time and simply loved my little Dodge Shelby Charger. In my younger days it was my habit to crank the tunes and floor the gas pedal. On this particular day, I also cranked the air conditioning. We made it to the kidney center without incident and my mom did her time on the machine. Amazingly enough 4 hours always passed pretty quickly. I often would lose myself between the covers of a good book, or would take along my latest crochet project to work on. It was also fun to roam the corridors under the hospital taking the dark eerie passages up to the sunny cafeteria where the food was better than fair. One little girl who always was in the waiting room made a constant practice of grossing me out with the doll she was never without. It was one of those “Baby Alive” dolls that when fed poops. This kid loved performing dipstick checks on this doll hoping against hope that some of this doll’s fake poop would come out on her finger. Disgusting!! I vowed then and there that if I ever had a daughter, she would never own a doll that pooped.
After dialysis, the heat seemed just as oppressive and I could see my mom was not feeling well at all as I cruised onto the interstate, floored my little car, and headed toward the sanctuary of home. All of a sudden I noticed the traffic behind me falling back and a tire bouncing away from my car into the distance toward the ditch. Oh Lord!! That was my tire!! I was going 85 miles per hour and struggled with the wheel as I let the car cruise to a stop alongside the road. Traffic zoomed past as I came to a stop and looked with panic at my mother who was looking a little green under the gills. What to do?? I glanced in my rear view mirror and spotted a police car with lights flashing cruising to a stop behind my car.
I can honestly say I have never been so happy to see a police car with flashing lights stopped behind me before or since!! The officer was very kind, and as soon as I explained the situation about my mother’s condition and the tire which was pretty obvious, he volunteered his assistance. He arranged for a tow truck, helped me get my mom into his air conditioned squad car and drove us home. The thought of being stranded alongside the road with my mom who was sick didn’t bear thinking. After my tire bounced off into the distance, a police officer appeared to save the day. It seems objects really are closer than they appear in the distance.
22 comments:
holy CRAP i didn't know they had a doll that did that :0)!!!!!!!!!!
seriously..so thankful you are there for your mom...and the way you write its so amazing; draw us right in as if i was there (great job)
I'm so glad you and your mom were ok, Kathy. It's amazing how quickly something like that can happen. My dad was on dialysis too, and there were just days when he was unable to do it himself.
I assume you maybe forgot to tell the policeman what speed you were doing at the time...
That has to have been a scary moment - on top of that you could see your mum was ill - these are times that challenge you.
Well done for rising to the challenge!
Brenda, thank you for stopping in to read and comment. I was awful thankful that fate allowed me to be there for my mom. I was her caretaker till the bitter end. I have no regrets and so happy I could do so. Yes, those dolls are nasty. They are called "Baby Alive"!! LOL
Theresa, thank you for stopping by to read and comment!! That was one scrape we managed to survive unscathed. LOL
Amazing story, Kathy. I caught myself holding my breath for the safety of you and your Mom. Wonderful blog!
Glen, fortunately for me the cop didn't show up until well after the fact...so he didn't catch me with the pedal to the metal and the speedometer needle buried. LOLOLOL My mom wasn't doing well in the heat, and I was thankful that he happened along and got us safely home in his air conditioned cruiser. Amazingly enough, I kept my cool and held the wheel steady guiding it alongside the road until I could get it to a stop. It made mincemeat of the rim, and it leaked air until the day when I blew up the engine on another hot day on the same stretch of road going near 90. Ah to be young again!! My dad was not amused that I cracked the block. LOLOLOL Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment!
Darlene, thank you for your kind comments and stopping by to read!! Ah yes, that was just one of many of our crazy adventures!! LOLOLOL! I sure miss her, we used to have us a time!
Terrific story! BTW, I had a Baby Alive. I must of licked 1,000 S & H Green stamps to get that thing...& oooh, was she ever neat until the foo-oop (food to poop)started to mold. Then she wasn't so neat.
So glad to hear you were in the fast lane with an angel wearing a state trooper's suit that day! (not sure if he was s trooper..but it sounded nifty!)
Keep up the cheerful tales...they certainly do brighten up a soul!
Avery
What a lucky escape you had - and what presence of mind to keep your car straight. So glad the police officer understood too.
I'm glad I've never seen such a doll for my kids to ask for. How gross!
This is an amazing story, and told so well. I love to read your blog. So thankful you were safe. I can't imagine having a tire fly off like! I once had one come to pieces on me, but never come all the way off.
Laura, Ewwww that just makes a Baby Alive doll even more icky!! Molded food poop??? Yuck!! I believe he was a state trooper and he was very kind. I am so happy you enjoyed my story!! Thank you for commenting!
Paula, by the time the police officer came along the car was at a stand still and I was still trying to get my head around what happened. One of the truck drivers must have radioed for help. My mom was in such a bad state that particular day! I was just so thankful he came along when he did to help us. Thanks for stopping in to read and comment.
Angie, it was quite frightening to look out the rear view and realize the tire that was bouncing away was one of mine!! Scary, but it all ended well. The police officer was nice enough to retrieve my tire for me too. Yes those Baby Alive dolls are just plain nasty. LOL Thank you for stopping in to read and comment.
Keep on truckin' Kathy. You drive a good story(almost as fast and racy as your car by the sounds of it)
Yeah that had to be pretty scary seeing and realizing your tire had flown off the car into the ditch--I've been there it is so nerve racking!! Glad the officer showed up!! Great post! Jenn
Antony, thank you for stopping by to read and flattering comment! That car used to corner like it was on rails. Absolutely loved that car...it was my favorite until I got a brand new Ford Probe years later. That car could move too. Got my first ticket in the Probe and cried when my lease was up. LOLOLOL
Jenn, that did freak me out!! LOL The cop must have been radioed by one of the semi trucks that were scrambling to dodge that bouncing tire behind me. By the time he arrived I had already come to a complete stop...so no ticket. He asked if we needed an ambulance for my mom, and she fought that one. She just wanted to go home. :D Thanks for stopping by to read and comment!!!!
Terrific story, and I absolutely loved your last line!
Oh, by the way, both of my granddaughters had Baby Alive dolls and ADORED them. The novelty of pooping dolls kind of gets outgrown quickly, but when they're new, they're a big kick. Blech.
Word Nerd, thank you for stopping by to read and comment. I am so pleased you enjoyed my little story. I never had a pooping doll. My mom was against dolls that produced messes. LOL
This is awesome. I always feel like I am with you as you tell us your story. So well done.
Also very happy you and Mom were not injured, the car could have flipped or you could've panicked or any number of things, your blue angel was most definitely a little gift.
Jo, I never considered that the car could have flipped!! Holy crap!! Someone was definitely watching over us that day and sent that officer along just at the right moment to save the day. I am so thrilled you enjoyed reading my contribution for this month. Thank you for stopping in to read and for your kind comments!!
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