Thursday, January 29, 2009

Falling, Flying & Fast Cars

"Faster, faster! We want a new Master!'
The kids voices chimed out like they belonged on a Pink Floyd album or something.
They were on the Merry-Go-Round and an older boy was running Sambo circles around and around, pushing them as fast as he could.
His legs looked like a blur to those of us on-looking. I thought they might turn to butter.
Still, the spinning children just wanted to go faster and faster.

I think, every town has a road called Dead Mans Road, or maybe it's just a bend in the road and they call it Dead Man's Curve. Passerbys may notice it by the small white crosses popping out of the ground.

This town had one on the outskirts heading out towards the mountains. It was two lanes, curvaceous and hilly. I never saw any white crosses, but I had heard the stories.

There was one super hill and it was known for sending fast moving vehicles air born at the crest. Problem, according to the lore I had heard, was that shortly beyond the crest of the super-hill was a relatively sharp curve... and it was a favorite strip for the youth to race down.

Tommy had an old black BMW that he was constantly tinkering with. I don't recall what the shut off number was on his speedometer, but I can remember laughing and telling him that I had never had a car that went as fast as this one. He laughed and said with a childlike gleam ...'Silly thang. The speedometer only tells you half the story'

Booking down the road...before I knew the lore, we caught the wind under that BMW cresting the super-hill. I lost my stomach for a split second ...'Woo-Hoo! That was fun!'
'That's Dead Man's Hill, Dead Mans Curve or whatever you want to call it.'

The next day, headed to the shoals, Tommy smiled over his shoulder at me and asked if I was up for the ride of a lifetime.

I smiled, 'Whatchoo tawkin' bout? Ah, never mind...I am along for the ride'

'Buckle up baby.'

I watched the speedomoter rise higher and higher, shaking. 110..120...130...140. Then it stopped shaking and it leveled out beyond the point of reading & still we gained speed.

The engine hunkered down and I could feel the tires barely skimming the paved road like the furthest flung skipping stone across steady waters.

AS we neared the crest of Dead Man's curve, I did something perhaps the dumbest thing I could have ever done in such an 'along-for-the-ride' moment.

I unsnapped my seatbelt.

'Mark was hollering out at the top of his lungs...We're gonna do it Man! Donnie, this one's for you brother! We're gonna do it.'
Tommy pressed on...
and we flew...
to the top of that hill...
and into the air...
the tires free of all friction...
the air, our only fiction...
silence...
my palms pressed firmly to the roof of the car...
no revving of the engine...
flying...
free...
for the moment...
and when we kissed the earth again, we all breathed again
and then we hooted and we hollered.

Later, at the shoals, when our adrenaline rush was all but forgotten about...
Tommy spoke softly 'Paige, you scared me earlier. Why did you undo your seatbelt?'
Sigh.
'Because life is for living Tommy. '
'Huh! Yes, and if we did man, you didn't have your damn belt on!'
'I know.'
Mark chimed in ...'If we had landed just an inch to the left or the right...girl, you just don't know! We could have wrecked and you, well crap, you would have probably have been killed...WTH were you thinking?!'
'Guys, come on. I was along for the ride & you said it was the ride of a lifetime...'

13 comments:

The CEO said...

No one will ever accuse you of being dull or boring, that's for sure. If I have never told you, it is my great pleasure, when I have the time, coming here and learning how to live from a Master. Thank you so much.
p&l,
Monty

Dee said...

You car-azy kid, you! Cheating death again...

Shimmerrings said...

You're definitely a southern girl!

Mel said...

I'll have you know my tummy went up when the car did.

And I mighta stopped breathing, momentarily.

Lemme guess-- your mama never got told.......or if she did, she whapped ya a good one.

OMGosh.....

"If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space" comes to mind?

Anonymous said...

Monty...Foolishness, I know, on a couple different levels. Thta,too, I guess is part of this living, loving and learning thing.

Dee..LoL, you funny. Death, I am sure has no doubts where I am when she wants me. No defiance here ;) ILY!

Shimmerings...LoL, you don't think girls up north find themselves in similar situations? Hahahaha, or is that your hospitable way of saying I am a redneck?

Mel...Lol, no Mother never got told. Ahem, I was an adult...not living at home;) This is one of many little crazy ass things that happened during the train trip...
hugs and love to you this morning. I woke up with you on my mind.

Shimmerrings said...

I reckon northern girls do things like that, too, I just don't know any, but I sure know plenty of southern girls who might've done that... Lol! Redneck? It never crossed my mind (not!)... You can't be a hippie and a redneck can ya?

Dee said...

ILY2!

skinnylittleblonde said...

Shimmerings...Hahaha, I live in Georgia and yep, hippies can get a little red...justa four-wheeler away ;)

Dee....Mwuah!

Shimmerrings said...

I live in Carolina and work in Georgia... you and I aren't too far away... and I spent many a night running on dirt roads in the country, a bush on the side of the road the closest latrine... I s'pect I mighta been a redneck hippie once upon a time...

SHE said...

sls: "and she lives to tell the story!"

and what a great story it is..

colorful, suspenseful & dangerously fun to read

and although i like what you say, and know it's true

"death knows where i am when she wants me"

i won't be sharing this one with my children..

my mommy mantra is,

"safety first. thrill seeking second.."

love, peace & buckle up!

~s. (nervous writeous mom)

Anonymous said...

Shimmerings...hahahaha, yeah, sounds familiar! I took my nieces camping for a week when they were tweens and told them it was very important that a lady know how to pee in the woods, teeheehee, because you just never know... Likewise, I don't know if little Jose would have been potty trained so quickly had we not turned him onto stnading on the deck & uh... ;)

She...Lol, I completely understand. As sick & perverse as it was, I can remember thinking that I was having a ball in that momentbut if we wrecked I didn't want to end up stuck in a coma for two years. Whacked, selfish ? I don't know, but in those moments, I thought 'Nah, I'd rather die happy and having fun' than be haunted forever for such a carefree time, especially since I had no health insurance. My, how our perspective changes with time and life circumstances!
peace, love & you raise your children well...the write way ;)

Anonymous said...

Eek! That was scary, Skinny! You sure tell a good story.

skinnylittleblonde said...

Lol Anne! It wasn't scary at the time, even though I was well aware that things could get all effed up in a heartbeat, I was actually lovin' it. Reflecting on it, it was insane! Today, I did get a chance to sneak a peak at the speedometer and it goes up to 160...crazy!