Written Stories

\f0\fs28 \cf2 I grip the steering wheel tightly. My white Chevy van is towing my second U-haul trailer in just a few days. Voices of eight children talking and playing float through the van. Only Gabriel is aware of the predicament we are in. The accelerator is stuck as I head up a hill. My mind raced ahead. What am I going to do? Why is the pedal stuck? How can I stop it? I try to pump the pedal to see if I can get it loose. I try my brakes but the van keeps going. I'm almost to the top of the mountain pass. What will happen? I'm fast approaching the last overlook before we reach the peak. I am still out of control. All of these thoughts are crashing around in my head in a matter of seconds. I finally put the van in neutral and applied the brake, somehow the van slowed as cars and trucks whiz by me and I drift to a stop at the side of the road.\

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Leaving Coeur d'Alene the road snakes up a mountain where you can look back over the valley. Normally this is a beautiful view. Now it is dark. I can see the lights from the city below and see the stars overhead but I feel no awe. I sat there in shock, silent, my pulse racing, knowing we were close to death. I am not sure how I managed to get the van to a stop but I am thankful and praise God for saving us from yet another disaster. For three days I had waited in a motel with 8 children for the needed auto part to come from Spokane to Post Falls, Idaho. The repairman had finally sent me on my way an hour ago and now this.\

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A few days earlier I had survived the trailer disconnecting on I-5 north of Seattle, my first mile on this journey home.\'a0As I sat by the road pondering my situation\'a0(I heard a small male voice telling me \'93you\'92re overreacting mom\'94 and then I scream.\'a0"We almost died!") I try to stay calm this time, for my children's sake. I thought the worst was behind me three days ago and now I find myself sitting in the dark by the side of the road after a near plunge over a mountain top. Here I am, by myself with a van full of kids. Why did I think I could do this? How will I make it 2000 more miles?\

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I take deep breaths and get myself under control. I look around and figure out where I am. I see the mile marker. Where is the cell phone? In all the chaos it had fallen to the floor. I shakily pick up the phone and call the mechanic. I tell him what has happened. His voice is quiet as he asks me, \'93 where are you?\'94 He tells me he will be out in a few minutes. He and I both realize the seriousness of what has just happened. Thankfully the kids are not as aware. Singing and laughter escape the open windows and though the air is cold they are not overly concerned.\'a0\

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After what seems an eternity the mechanic arrives at the overlook. He looks tired as he gets out of his truck. I'm sure he hates working on old vans, especially now. Using a huge handheld flashlight he checks everything out. He shakes his head as he runs his fingers through his dirty hair. "Maybe something flew up in the mechanism and caused the problem." He\'92s not sure what happened. \'93Everything seems in working order now,\'94 he assures me. He tells us all goodbye and goes wearily back to his truck. My knees are weak and I have a hard time standing or getting the courage to get back in the van and on the road again. I take a deep breath. \'93Okay, kids we are ready to go, buckle your seat belts.\'94 I start the van and I check my mirrors one last time.\

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Mountain passes are not my favorite thing, to begin with, they are steep, curvy, and often snow-covered in the winter. I tend to overuse the brakes. Back in the vehicle now I creep along and manage to make it through the mountain pass and to the bottom where I hear the familiar thump of a flat tire. So much for making up lost time. The brakes broke on the first U-Haul which caused the trailer to disconnect, the belt mechanism, and now a flat tire. I am drained. I stop for the night at the base of the mountain unable to face another mile.\

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I pull into the nearest hotel. Any other time I would have loved this place. It\'92s an old hotel at the base of the mountain probably built 50 years earlier. The walls are paneled with real wood and the well-maintained rooms are small and quaint. The beds are covered with white chenille spreads from a gentler era. With Gabriel\'92s help, I get the kids tucked into bed and lie down and call Lawrence for my daily check-in. We are both too tired to say much. I quickly fall asleep.\

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Tomorrow I will get the tire replaced and head further east for home.\

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