The Old Tempo

Going out that creaky door, that creaky cheap metal door hung on inadequate hinges. Down the preformed concrete steps and across the front yard by the well worn dirt path. My car suffers from the sap and bugs of the loblolly pine trees but is not bad enough for me to run off to the auto wash just yet! I drove the underpowered little Tempo off the rock driveway that traverses the trailer park and putted off down the road. The highway intersection is a beautiful piece of thoughtless engineering. In order to make a left turn, one must be vigilant about the left traffic. Once the left traffic is clear it is imperative that no one is in the median section of the four lane highway. It would be fine if it was sure they would continue on straight, but does one little good if the car continues on to plow into you during its left turn. Better wait till that one clears the intersection! The car all the way across the four lanes seems to be waiting long enough. Maybe he was just waiting for that car to leave the median. Maybe he is waiting to see if I am going. Left lane clear. I punch it. The little Tempo’s clutch must be nearly worn through due to its lack of power. I’ve made it to the median. Right lanes just starting to clear. The guy behind me impatiently pulls out onto the median right behind me and ends up parked on my right. I hit the gas and into the left lane hard at it.
The guy on the right passes me quickly and slides into the right lane. The person waiting on the other side just shakes their head. Of course cars are coming up fast as I am madly shifting to reach the 55 mph speed limit.
Drivers shake their heads as they pass me from the slow lane. I am temporarily trapped in the fast lane trying to reach the speed limit.