Coming Home

I drove into the church parking lot, and threw the car in reverse. I hightailed it to the edge of the road. I was lost. Or was I just going the wrong way?

The car honked from behind me. It took my attention off my thoughts, jolting me out of my reverie. I floored the gas pedal and turned left onto the main street. The car in front of me slowed down, and the one on my bumper would not let up. It felt like I was packed in like a sardine in a can. I was really hoping a cop would pass by. That way they could see the person driving behind me, terrorizing me as I was going back home. The pace of the traffic was slow, even as rush hour was ending. Escaping this madman would not be easy.

My GPS told me to go straight. But I needed to lose this guy. I glanced into my rear view mirror, and saw what looked like a dancing marionette. My eyes were playing tricks on me.

I turned up my music, and focused on the road ahead. There were orange cones everywhere. I‘ll never understand why they can’t do construction at night. The pink layer of sunset shone through my windshield, as I sped toward my destination. I stared at the emerging colors, and felt a sense of peace wash over me. I smiled, and shifted into higher gear, getting closer to home.

I looked in my rear view mirror again to see a motorcycle zooming towards me. The driver looked to his left, then swerved into the oncoming lane. As he came around my car, he gave me the middle finger, then abruptly moved in front of me. I cursed the city I lived in and its terrible drivers, and reached for my coffee.

I passed the elementary school on my left, noticing the flags waving in the wind as they stood on their pole. I turned right onto my street, and drove slower than before. Both sides of me were flanked with dog walkers and tall pine trees dropping their cones this time of year. They were always causing me to stumble on my front sidewalk. One landed on the roof of my car, and bounced to the ground, eventually rolling into a muddy ditch.

It started to drizzle, and clouds that brought the storm were looming over my head. I could see my driveway, and knew I would be safe soon.

I put the car in reverse, and cautiously backed down into my driveway. I looked up to see my neighbor walk by in her leaf hat with her two dogs. I got so close. I barely missed her.

I waited in the driver’s seat for five minutes, anticipating the black Lexus to pull up in front of my house. But it never showed up. I said a silent prayer of gratitude to whoever was listening, and got out of my car. My shoes hit the pavement with a deliberate thud. The heel of my black boot struck a pine cone in my path.It darted towards the rocks, vehemently avoiding my confident stride, and struck a boulder with nothing more than a clink.

I stopped at my front door. The lower part was covered in mud, the upper overwhelmed with a beautiful spiderweb. A spider sat in its center — a picturesque scene suitable for Halloween. She thinks it’s her home, too. I reached into my purse, grabbed a cigarette, and walked to my carport, sitting down abruptly on a firewood stump. I watched the smoke ascend into the branches of the pine tree in my front yard. It dissipated as large drops of rain drowned it out. I walked to stand under the open sky, allowing rain to fall directly onto my face. It was cold, yet refreshing.

I put out the embers, and unlocked my front door. I heard the sound of my heels hit the entrance tiles. I reached to flip the switch for the foyer light.

The door slammed shut, waking me up. I immediately looked outside, challenging my eyes to focus on the distance furthest from me. My ex used to tell me I’d eventually become nearsighted. Yet I could see it so clearly. Both the forest and the trees.

I glanced over at my dining room window. The black Lexus was there. The one with the bobbling Buddha on its front dash. So many cars look alike nowadays. The headlights turned off and the neighbor got out of her car. She grabbed her groceries, and walked to her house.

I sighed heavily, weary from the drive and the day. I went to turn on the front porch light. You know, just in case.

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