So, the program car, a little white Geo Metro, which we dubbed Edgar (I do not remember why) has left our community for greener pastures (i.e. it has been sold since there are no participants for next year - whether its pastures will be green or not - well...). But before Edgar left, I was able to put us all through one last hurrah together.
Last Sunday, I drove Edgar up to Paoli, IN for church so that I could go back early for a barbeque (normally I would have kept my stickshift ambitions to myself and just rode along with another person). But as it was, I needed to drive that little manual transmission in order to both see Keith become a member of the Mennonite Church and to go to a school staff barbeque back here in Louisville. So, on the drive up there Emily and Andi rode with me, as well as our visiting friend, Pete. Now Pete is a tall guy with long legs and him getting into the front seat of the Geo was a feat unto itself. And I, me being me, decided it was necessary to bring along a cup of coffee I had just brewed in the periculator (I've finally developed this great process of the perfect amount of espresso plus heated milk plus whisking a little foam into it). Anyways. It's hard enough to drive stick for only the sixth time in one's life and try to handle a full cup of coffee (which of course is not in a travel mug). So I gave the coffee-cup-holding responsibility to Pete.
And I'm doing fine, we're doing fine, the Geo's doing fine - maybe I took a corner or a speed bump a little too fast - but hey, it's fine. I'm about to merge onto the highway when I'm stopped by the last stoplight in my path... and it happens to be on a slight hill. Of course, I start going spasmotic - checking for and cursing any cars that look like they may attempt to pull up behind me. The light stays red forever. And then all of sudden it's green and I try valiently to go. But of course, I'm thinking too hard and too nervously about it and don't give poor Edgar enough gas. Thus commences the funniest experience in my recent life. Edgar takes us all on a bouncy ride that only goes for two or three feet but involves jerking drastically up and down and back into the seat. I glance over at Pete in these few seconds just in time to see half of the coffee in my cup fly straight into the air and then down again. All over Pete and the floor and dash of the Geo. I think Edgar eventually stalled - I waited through another long light (during which time I opened the car door and poured out the rest of my coffee - nice foam or not!) and this time gave Edgar plenty of gas. And go dog go - we went with no more major mishaps!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Isn't driving stick fun? I'm trying to talk Kendra into learning so she can drive Karlin's truck. But first she needs to learn how to drive. It's like her first time every time we get in the car. Scary.
Your foamy percolted coffee sounds good/interesting. But you're learning. We'll make a coffee connoisseur out of you yet!
love aunt toni
Post a Comment