One of the scariest, most improbable, experiences I ever remember having was the time I took my little sister, Shari, with me to the neighborhood grocery store for a gallon of milk. I was eighteen and she was five.
It was stormy and the rain was pouring down. I was driving the family station wagon. I remember it had push buttons on the dash for an automatic transmission that powered everything in the car.
Shari and I were on our way back home, about six blocks away. We had just turned onto 14th street which went by the hospital and were coming up to a two-way stop when the windshield wipers quit working. That was frustrating because it was raining so hard, but I figured it would be okay since we weren’t that far from home. It definitely was something I would have to let Daddy know about so he could get them fixed.
We were nearing the two-way stop and I put my foot on the brake to slow down for the stop. As I did, I suddenly realized I had no brakes! I looked left and right —no cars in either direction, so I held my breath as we went right through the stop sign.
Within a few seconds, it dawned on me that I had no power! That meant steering, brakes, windows, wipers, everything was worthless to me! Thank God I was only two blocks from home!
Then I had the most sobering thought ever … in two blocks, there was a four-way stop. It was the one just before the left turn to go up our street. This one had a dip that would make your teeth rattle even when you were going slow enough. This was worrisome. We won’t be going slow enough. We’ll bottom out!
“Shari, get down on the floor and tuck your head down on your chest.”
“Why? I don’t want to get on the floor!”
“Sharon Lynn, we’re going to hit a huge bump! You could go flying and maybe get thrown on the floor! Get down on the floor and tuck your head —NOW!”
Hearing me yell at her, Shari’s eyes grew as big as two lit flashlights, but she got down on the floor and tucked her head down.
“That’s good, Shari, thank you.”
I tried the brakes again, pushing the pedal with both feet, but it was no use. We were going to hit the four-way stop and the dip way too fast. We would definitely bottom out. I made a silent wish that no cars were coming —one more time.
Once past the brick house I’ll be able to see. NO CARS Coming! Perfect!
I held my breath as we passed the stop sign and hit the dip. It was an awful sound, a loud bang-clank, then a metallic scraping sound. We bottomed out on the dip. We were still moving forward and going pretty straight. That was good, because the steering wheel wouldn’t budge. Only one block to the left turn onto our street ---a turn we would never be able to make. Our best hope was to eventually coast to a stop.
Then I saw it. On the other side of our street, right where we were about to go, was a huge tree branch lying right in the middle of the street. We would have to turn to go around it. I had no choice. I would have to either hit the tree branch, or push the button on the console for ‘Park’. That may tear the whole transmission out and lay it on the road, but at least we’ll stop. I didn’t know what else I could do.
“Shari, stay down there a while longer, hun. We’re going to have one more HUGE bump.”
“Okay.”
At home later, I apologized over and over, but Daddy said he was just glad Shari and I were all right.
“Honey, cars can be fixed, but the people we love can’t always be fixed …”
Did you ever find out how something like that happened? Maybe the rain drenched and shorted something out? You had luck and your Guardian Angel on your side that rainy day.