Adventures in Driving

So after the emotional posts of the last few days, I decided that a light post was what we all needed.  Tim and I have had many adventures and this is one of our most treasured.

We had been married 1.5 years and were living in Bowling Green, Ohio while Tim was finishing a double masters and I was finishing my undergraduate degree that I had changed from music to American Culture Studies.  We were planning a trip to Cooperstown to see his family with our lovable lab/spaniel mix Nelly.  She loved riding in cars so the 9 hour trip wasn't daunting because of her.  However, with both of us working, going to school and Tim teaching on top of it - we were rather tired.

At that time, we had two cars.  Well, actually we had a stick shift Chevy Cavalier and a mini-van (how unhip before children) to cart Tim's gear around to all his gigs.  I had been driving the cavalier almost exclusively but we took the van without the back seats in it so that Nelly had lots of room and so Tim could lay down in the back and sleep as he was exhausted while I took the first shift of driving.

Being the good scout, he had a great sleeping bag that he laid down in the back, snuggled in, and was off to sleep before we left the driveway.  Nelly was soon curled in the front seat sleeping as well.  Things were going fine - I managed to get us through Cleveland without running any idiot drivers off the road (I used to have a bit of road rage) and about 45 minutes past Cleveland I realized how exhausted I was. I knew that I needed to wake Tim up so he could drive for awhile.  Nelly is a great co-captain but she doesn't hold a conversation very well as she, too, prefers to sleep in the car.

So I put my signal on and get off at the exit taking my foot off the gas. By the time I get to the top of the ramp I don't even have to touch my brakes as I go through the green light turning left towards the McDonald's.  I begin to accelerate and this is where things get tricky.  See, I was used to driving the standard Chevy so as I neared the McDonald's and went to "down shift" as I slowed down, I used the "clutch" which was actually the brake.

Now understand, Tim is completely asleep in a nylon sleeping bag in the back of the mini van and Nelly is in the front seat.  I went from 40 to 0 in about 15 feet.  During which Nelly goes flying off of the front seat and I hear Tim's muffled yells as his whole body comes crashing to the front of the van feet first managing to get stuck under my seat.  I cannot figure out for the life of me what has happened as I am assuming some sort of horrible mechanical failure of the van and I begin yelling for Tim as we are in traffic and I am terrified of being hit.

It only takes about a minute for me to realize that I am a dumbass and am actually driving an automatic.  The "clutch" that I just laid on the floor is actually the brake.  Laughter, uncontrollable laughter, commences and I can't get it together to drive.  Tim is jarred awake trying to figure out why he was launched (literally) into the front of the car and Nelly is looking at me with words that are unkind.  I am trying to explain to Tim what happened but it is no use so I manage to drive the 100 feet into the McDonald's where I safely and carefully park the car.

Tim is NOT amused at this point.  His ankle hurts, head hurts, body has been smashed and he is concerned about my sanity.  (This was not the first time nor will it be the last.)
So, as I let Nelly out to stretch and see if she has any injuries, I explain to Tim - through tears of laughter - that I thought I was driving the Cavalier.  After about 5 minutes he sees the hilarity of the situation and is laughing uncontrollably with me.  Needless to say, neither one of us had trouble staying awake the rest of the way to Cooperstown.

Today, I will be driving and Tim will randomly remind me that I am currently driving an automatic...without a clutch.