“Stop bitching at me! I’m driving just fine!" “Driving just fine? You’ve been swerving into the other lanes and hitting the rumble strips! You can’t even drive in a straight line. May I remind you that you almost hit an overpass?” My forehead was growing hot, and I could feel it spread to my cheeks. I leaned over the center console and turned the air-conditioning on full blast again. “Shut up.” She took her hand off the steering wheel to crack the window. “It’s just your medications. You’re getting to that age. Maybe I should drive the rest of the way?” My knee began bouncing as it lost its patience. She took a cherry cigar out of her purse and lit it with her overpriced zippo. The second she turned on the radio, I knew the silent treatment would follow. I unbuckled my seatbelt and positioned my back against the side window. It seemed impossible to get comfortable, especially with the growing heat on my back. I propped my feet up against the pet carrier, interrupting my cat’s sleep. Kicking at my guitar and blank canvases, I made just enough room for my feet. My luggage was stacked just high enough so the driver could still see out the back window. Every dip and bump and the road made …show more content…
She jerked the steering wheel tightly, and the tires folded beneath us. Her head shattered the window, then the sound of crushing filled the silence. Gravity betrayed me and forced my head into the roof of the car. A sharp migraine formed near the back of my head, and my ears started to ring. Metal tucked under itself and crunched against the pressure of the ground. My elbow was thrown mercilessly into the glass window beside me. I had become the car’s marionette. It plucked all of my strings haphazardly, obviously lacking any sympathy as it threw the contents of the car with me. There wasn’t anything to slow me from being propelled against the back window. Glass shards were thrown into the violent tumble, carving the memory into my