I never pick India up from work. She gets out not long before Ken, and about the same time as Matthew. She takes the bus to church (where Matthew is on the IT staff) and rides home with him. Or she walks to the store and Ken picks her up on his way home from the office. Having sold my van to Matthew, I am carless right now anyway, except for the rare occasion that I use Ken's and my car. Yet there I was, picking her up from work.
Only this was different. I was driving an older SUV that I don't recognize, and cruising down an icy highway that looked like the one heading north from Utica, NY. Sort of.
I was the second vehicle in a long line of slow moving vehicles. We were following a man who was going about 35mph as he slid on his bottom along the road. Yes. he was sitting upright and pushing himself with his hands as he slid on his butt. Doing a pretty speedy 35mph considering his mode of transportation.
As we were slowly driving, I noticed an amazing view coming into sight. We were getting closer to a hill and I could see the valley spread out in the distance. I had my tablet in the car (I never do this), so I took the tablet and starting taking photos as we moved along. The valley was getting closer while I realized I had never seen it before. I was wondering if I had taken a wrong turn. All this time the car in front never blocked the view for me.
At the top of the hill, the man scooting along the road "pulled over" to the side to let the rest of us pass. The car in front of me was no longer there and I was at the top of a very steep drop (think roller coaster). I wanted to stop but there were too may cars behind me. So over I went. The SUV picked up speed as gravity took over. Then the road abruptly curved upward, and disappeared. I mean it just ended. I kept "driving" upward into the air.
I looked down and realized the other cars were ant-size below me, while they continued down the road. It turned out I had veered off and gotten onto a short road similar to those found on sleep inclines to stop a runaway tractor-trailer. Only those usually have gravel to stop the truck, not a huge ramp to the sky.
As I continued rising into the air, I was thinking "This is the last time I pick her up from work."
As I continued rising into the air, I was thinking "This is the last time I pick her up from work."
Then Kito whined at the bedroom door for us to let him outside....