Tonight, I was driving the back roads, picking Liv up from a girls' fishing activity for church. I passed a little red-dirt road named Raven, and was lost in memory.
Senior year, my Chemistry teacher nominated me for some science-y award at the local junior college. I don't remember why I was driving myself, as I rarely did so, but I was in my Grandpa's car. I have pictures somewhere of that evening, smiling next to Mrs. Gillispie, me with crazy hair and a tie-dyed button-up shirt that was about six sizes too big.
When the ceremonies were over, I drove home. I'd always loved knowing my way around the back roads of the area, having been driven over them most of my life. If I didn't know where a road came out, I'd give it a try and then drive until I knew where I was again. So, I didn't take the main highway home, but instead chose take a shortcut that was more scenic.
Oh, Raven! What a cool name for a road. I wondered where it came out at the other end. I'd headed home sooner than I'd expected, it wasn't dark yet, and I thought I'd check it out.
The road started fairly respectably, but soon narrowed to two graveled ruts with thick grass growing between them. Even worse, we'd had rain recently, and the road was increasingly sloppy and muddy.
You know that feeling, when you start to realize you've made a terrible mistake? And then you think you'll just keep going, because it'll probably get better in just a bit? Yeah.
Soon, the mud gave way to monstrous puddles, and the car was stuck. I'm talking REALLY stuck, in water that was coming into the floorboards a little. Pa-Pa always took good care of his car, he even kept it in a garage with a cover on it. Now I'd gone and mired it in the middle of nowhere, and I was starting to panic. No one knew where I was, and would think to look for me in this place. I was all alone, and not many people had cell phones at the time. Oh, crap.
So I did what I could. I carried my shoes and waded to the edge of the puddle. I didn't remember any friendly seeming houses for a good while back the way I'd come in, so I kept going the way I was headed. The strappy sandals I'd bought for Prom were not built for walking and I ended up carrying them.
Finally, an intersection. I knew where I was! I made it to my friend Ann's house, and shyly knocked on the door. I will never forget how nice they all were to me, and be grateful all the rest of my days. But wait, there's more.
Ann's Dad took us back with his tractor, to pull the car free. Apparently, the desolate-looking road had been noticed by other dumb teenagers, and deemed the perfect drunken-fighting-fornicating party location. We had to cross through all of them to get the car out. The atmosphere was just, for lack of a better term, evil.
At last, we were free! I thanked my rescuers profusely, and headed home. I'd neglected to call my family because I was distracted about getting the car, and probably delaying the retribution as long as possible. And, oh, there was retribution! Mom was starting to worry that I'd eloped with Toby. It was not a happy evening at home that night. And Pa-Pa's car always smelled a little bit funny after that night, too.
