The Curse

Let me tell you a story. A horror story of sorts.

Once upon a time there was girl. This girl had a curse. The curse of broken down cars. Dun Dun Dun. (Is that really how you would spell that?)

As she was traveling to college with a friend the car broke down in Hermiston, OR. The engine stopped and they coasted off the highway and into a gas station parking lot. The gas attendant suggested a nice little motel down the street and next to the, well, adult entertainment center. NO THANK YOU! After numerous phone calls they were able to stay with a family in the area. For four days, the friend worked on the car and the girl hung out with the family's two cute teenage boys. (Oh yeah, this is supposed to be scary. Sorry I forgot. Well, maybe it wasn't soo bad.)

Four months later, the girl was driving home from college with another friend for Christmas. (Friend 1 wouldn't make the same mistake twice.) It was cold and dark outside. A light flashed on the dash. The water pump went out. They coasted off the highway and into a gas station parking lot in Sunnyside, WA. The girl and her friend called for help, but heard nothing but a busy signal. They were finally able to get a hold of their families, but they wouldn't be able to rescue them for several hours later that night. The girl and her friend hung out in the convenience store and slept on the tables and in the car. They were rescued by their dads and returned home safely.

All was quiet for almost two and a half years. The girl married and was so happy. But as the girl and her new husband drove home for a visit the car started to make funny noises. Dun, dun, dun... They pulled over and the car died. The couple didn't make it to a gas station this time, so instead walked about a mile to the nearest highway exit. Louie, the tow truck driver, doubled as tour guide on the way from Wallace to Coeur d'Alene, ID. Soon they found themselves abandoned at an auto repair shop that was closed for the weekend. They walked around town and hung out in a hotel lobby with a fireplace to keep warm. Once again the girl's family came to rescue them. I, er, the girl, can't remember what went wrong with the car that time. But it got fixed.

As the years went on the girl was getting ready to once again go back to college. In preparation, the girl was going to get the tires fixed. On the way to the shop the engine died and the steering locked up. The girl had never been driving or alone when the curse attacked before. She pulled into the nearest parking lot and used a phone to call her husband. (Blast the days when we didn't have a cell phone.) Again she was greeted by the busy signal...for 2 hours! The girl was so thankful that the curse decided to attack 10 minutes from home instead of hours away in the mountains or middle of nowhere. The car was repaired and the couple was on their way.

The curse remained quiet for over four years. Numerous road trips were made within this time and the curse was thought to have been broken. But alas, on a recent trip to Utah the curse struck back with force. As the girl and her family were traveling there the car jumped and then died. The car lurched forward and coasted down a hill, off the highway and into a gas station parking lot. (Deja vu!) They bummed around Ontario, OR for five hours, while the alternator was getting replaced. They tried to create a program, watched YouTube videos of "Ken Lee" (I loved this. Maybe it is because I grew up loving Mariah Carey or maybe it is because we were so bored waiting for the mechanic to get to our car, but I still laugh every time.) and ABDC (America's Best Dance Crew), got lost walking to Red Apple, and enjoyed free cake.

As if this wasn't enough for one trip the curse attacked again! Late on the way home from Utah the girl's husband was driving, around 2:30 am and right before Zilla, WA. BOOM! A tire had exploded. Nothing had been run over, but the tire was shredded to pieces. Luckily the girl's husband and dad were able to change the tire on the side of the road, while in the background they were cursing the girl's name. Quite the eventful road trip. In between these two curse events was a two hour wait in a parking lot of semis on the highway as a jack knifed truck was cleared off the road.

Who knows when the curse will attack again? Just think twice before planning a road trip with this girl. (Bekah, so far this is only car rides and hasn't happened in the air. Knock on wood.)