Ah Choo!

By Diane Williams

I didn’t like the look on the mechanic’s face. My ancient car had a sputtering engine, a failing transmission and brakes that worked sometimes. Still, I was hoping for the best and when I saw him, I knew I wasn’t going to get it.

He said, “Just to put this car into decent working order will cost you about $5000.”

It may as well have been five million. I told him I had to think about it over. I got into the car, said another little prayer, and turned the key. It cranked reluctantly and I eased it onto the street. And then onto the highway.

I only wanted to get home so I could think things over, but the car immediately began to fail. A foul odor wafted in from under the hood. I looked for an opening in traffic so I could pull off the freeway. But I was in the far left lane and no one would let me move right. The car kept losing power.

“God,” I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Get me off this freeway!” Before I could finish, the car slowed to a halt, right there in the middle lane.

“Oh God,” I whimpered. “I’m sorry for yelling. Please forgive me.”

Terrified, I stared into the rearview mirror. Cars were everywhere. I couldn’t get out of the car, I had no phone – I was trapped.

I tried to calm down and kept praying.

Then, something told me to move. I opened the door and, without realizing how, I found myself on the shoulder of the highway. The traffic hadn’t slowed down – but somehow I had gotten through.

There was a deafening crash. A cable television truck slammed into my car, propelling it across two lanes and into a pole.

The driver of the truck jumped out of his truck and ran toward me. “Are you all right?”

I nodded.

He said. “I didn’t see your car until it was too late. I tried to slow down, but I sneezed and my foot pressed down on the gas pedal.”

We exchanged insurance and contact information. The driver called the police to report the accident.

As we waited, the driver said, “Lady, I don’t mean to be rude, but I just smashed your car, and you’re not screaming or yelling. Is there something wrong with you?”

I smiled and shook my head no.

He asked, “Then why are you so calm?”

I shrugged. “It’s only a car,” I said. “I’m just glad I wasn’t in it when you hit it.” I didn’t mention to him that I had been saved by a miracle.

The cable company set me up with a rental car until the insurance could get worked out. It’s funny how things happen. That morning I felt hopeless about my car. By that afternoon, I was driving a brand new rental and feeling like a million bucks.

I laughed to myself and thought, “I should have thanked that driver for sneezing.”

Diane Williams writes from La Verne, California. writerworks@gmail.com