A Steamy Spring Break

            My first ever spring break as a college student was heavily anticipated. I looked forward to catching up with old friends from home, as well as, making some well overdue visits to family members. Besides all of this, I definitely needed this break from the academic side of William Jewell College.

            Driving home in my sixteen-year-old car with 234,000 miles, I was also anticipating getting my car worked on and fixed. The car was drivable, but driving 500 miles with a check-engine light on is not very settling mentally. Monday it was fixed by the end of the workday and I was able to take it out on the town consecutively for the rest of the week, with no problems. However, on Thursday night I had just dropped my friend off and was sitting at a major intersection. While sitting and waiting for the light to change I noticed a small stream of smoke coming from under the hood. Before I could pull over the hood started to smoke intensely from the hood and from my air conditioner vents, filling the car with steam. While completely losing composure I quickly turned the car off pulled the brake, turned on my flashers.

            Almost immediately four small Latino men, stopped to assist in pushing my car across the intersection. When the action was slowing down I suddenly started receiving phone calls. I quickly realized that half of the town knew about me breaking down before even my parents did.

            Perhaps my biggest fear about the whole ordeal was that I might have to ride all the way to Missouri with my father, who had nothing more to say except to tell me that I was out too late at night. Just for knowledge purposes of how unreasonable this question is, it was only ten thirty at night.

            After a fun night of adventure, I realized that if I was going to break down I picked the perfect time and place to do so. I also think about people who have never experienced the helpless feeling of car trouble. The fact that my car is old has definitely prepared me to lead a family in a time of disaster. It is allowing me to gain the awareness I need to understand the many jokes life has a way of playing on you!