Story 205: Waiting to Make a Left-Hand Turn

            7:27 a.m.

           The Driver advanced to The Intersection, the point where all roads met, where rush hour traffic never ceased, and where no quarter was given.  The left-hand signal was turned on, and the game began.

            Inch up – inch up – maybe – nope – after these three – traffic light’s red – now there’s a bunch on the right – inch up – maybe now – maybe now – maybe – maybe – maybe –

            7:39 a.m.

           “Hi, Sue?  Yeah, I’m probably going to be a little late this morning… Yep, I overslept and now I’m stuck at The Intersection…. Oh, it’s infamous around here, you can probably find news reports about it online…. Yep, that’s the one…. OK, I guess you’ll see me when you see me – oh shoot, I missed an opening!” [BEEEEEP!!!  SCREEEECH!!!!!]  “You go for it, dude!  At least one of us made it out of here.  Welp, I should go before I miss another one – it’ll happen any minute now, I just know it.”

            8:01 a.m.

            The mini-microwave dinged! at exactly the same time the mini-percolator finished dripping.  Simultaneous Completion of Hot Coffee + Morning Pizza = Serendipity.

            8:35 a.m.

           <The reason for all your suffering, the reason for all your pain; you know there could only have ever been one answer: I AM YOUR GHOST.>

          “Whoooooooa,” The Driver breathed while watching the screen propped in front of the steering wheel.  “Glad I missed everybody talking about it this morning.”

           <Wait a minute – do you mean “your ghost” as in Dead-Me-From-The-Future, or “your ghost” as in Embodiment-of-a-Torment-That-Is-Literally-Haunting-Me?>

            <…The first one.>

            <Whoooooooa!>

            An opening!  The gas pedal was floored as the screen went flying.  Fake out: someone was just changing lanes on the main road.  Good thing the brakes recently had been replaced; the new tread marks on the ground joined the thousands previously left behind.

            9:30 a.m.

           Snoooorrrrreee – gak?  The Driver awoke to see traffic was clear in both directions and to hear the horns blaring from behind.  The car smoothly pulled out of The Intersection now that the Rush Hours were over, since everyone else was at work.

          If I my play my cards right, The Driver thought, I can do this all over again tomorrow!