Installment two of Rowan's Adventure

Joshua was crying and it took Rowan a few seconds to realize she was holding him just a little too tight. Reassuring him Rowan rocked him and said, “Everything will be O.K. Mommy is here. We are going to go to Daddy’s house.” Joshua perked up and agreed. Then in the sweetest voice he said, “Don’t worry Mommy I take care of you. I a man.” Rowan couldn’t help but smile. She gave him the task of gathering up his favorite toys and loading them into his Bob the Builder back pack. While he did that she grabbed a few pieces of clothing and shoved them into a bag. The scene outside seemed a little calmer now. She was no longer worried that the gas line would explode. If it was going to happen it would have already happened, was her line of reasoning. It was still the safest option to evacuate. Plus the furnace was off and it was the dead of winter. The other house had a wood stove. After she threw some toiletries in the bag too, she grabbed Joshua and headed to the door. It took what seemed an eternity to get their snow clothes on. Rowan wanted to make sure they were bundled up because she had no idea what lay in store for their five mile drive.

As they left the house Rowan locked the door behind her. This was something she rarely did, and it seemed odd for a brief moment. In the driveway sat her little blue Prius that she was so proud of. Once Joshua was strapped safely in his car seat she turned the key. Nothing, the car did not start. Rowan could not believe it but her perfect little Prius was silent. She looked around the neighborhood and noticed that no cars were moving. There were people walking down the street will suitcases and personal possessions. Out came the words, “What the hell?” which ignited a flurry of questions from the back seat. Rowan tried again and again but the car would not start. Rowan laid her head on the steering wheel and sighed. There was no time to break down, but at that moment she almost lost it. Then she looked at the garage door. She whispered, “could it?”

As the garage door swung up there was “the beast” with its grill smiling back at her. The “Beast” was her ex’s 1985 Toyota 4Runner. It had been converted to be fuel injection with a carburetor and an old points ignition system. It was rusted, old and a source of contention between them for years. She had asked, begged, and demanded he get rid of it. He would not. It just sat in her garage forcing her Prius to be parked outdoors. It irritated her every time she had to clear the snow off her car. Rowan just knew that her ex kept it there now just to get at her. It also gave him an excuse to come around whenever he wanted to. She slid into the garage and into the front seat. She let Joshua sit in the seat next to her just for now. Finding the spare key in the middle console she started it up. It had trouble turning over at first but then finally roared to life. She could not believe it. The damn thing started. Rowan thanked God for unanswered prayers and apologized to the beast for all of the mean things she ever said about it. Rowan looked at the gas gauge. It still had half a tank of gas. It was plenty to drive five miles. As much as she had hated that vehicle before she loved it twice as much now. That old ugly rusted piece of junk was now the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The engine sound was like music to her ears.

Installment Three coming in two weeks….hope you enjoyed it, FreedomFox

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