Driving in My Car

I turned up the radio, to drown out the sound of the grumbly engine and tires. The clutch felt like it had gravel in it and the accelerator kept sticking in spots or making an arcing and sizzling noise. I remember thinking I shouldn't have driven it across the stream a few miles back. Finally I just got fed up with it and got out. The day from the view in the car was windy and wet, outside the car, sunny with a pleasant cool breeze.

I shouldered my computer bag, grabbed a bottle of water, and set out for home. I cut out across a meadow at one point, and surprised a pair of cheetah cubs. They started following me, so I doubled back to the meadow, hoping their mom would summon them away from me. When that didn't happen I left them a cat food tin and headed home while they were distracted.

They caught up with me just as I was raising my garage door. They raced past me and into the house, where, by the time I got there, Teddy and Giles had cornered them and were cleaning their ears. I figured they'd work it all out and put everything down so I could head out and bring the car home, since the empty garage made me feel guilty for abandoning the car.

When I got back to the car it was upside down, so I found a couple of plastic shopping bags and wrapped it up to keep the bugs out. I really wished I had the cell phone so I could call for a tow truck, but it was in the computer bag at home. Then I realized the car fit in a pair of shopping bags, so scooped it up with both arms and carried it home.

R asked me why I wasn't driving it today. I replied that it was "being bad."