Monthly Archives: March 2012
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a car enthusiast. Imagine my excitement at the age of three when my mom, Kathy, announced we were going to the car dealership to pick up my grandmother’s brand new 1979 Chrysler Cordoba.
My sisters Heidi (age 4), Amy (age 2), and I had fallen asleep during the ride to the dealership. Upon arrival, instead of waking us, Kathy decided to park within eyesight while she and my grandmother checked out the new car.
Having woken about five minutes later, I climbed over the front seat and decided to commandeer the vehicle by pulling the gearshift into neutral. Screams of sheer terror rang from the backseat and permeated the surrounding area. Much to Kathy’s dismay, the commotion centered on her car, which was slowing rolling downhill from the customer parking lot toward the showroom floor.
Without hesitation, and eight months pregnant with my sister Jamie, Kathy dropped her handbag, flung off her heels, and dashed for the moving vehicle, which by this time had picked up some speed. In a flash, Kathy arrived at the car, flung open the driver-side door, jumped in the front seat, and engaged the emergency brake. The almost three-ton vehicle came to a screeching halt within mere inches of the showroom’s glass facade. A cry from the group of assembled spectators exclaimed, “that woman can run really fast for a fat lady!”