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Nov. 5, MINNEAPOLIS MN.
Drive seven hours from Chicago. Several women come to Minneapolis reading.
Learn all are going through infertility. Realizing we're all pod sisters*,
we quickly get down to having a good time talking about what a lousy time
we've had with infertility. Back in the Vette, preparing to drive nine
hours overnight to St. Louis, notice dash lights are out. Turn off
headlights then turn them on to see if maybe dash lights will come on.
They still don't, and now pop-up headlights don't pop up either. Pull
over. Twist around under dash, half in, half out of car, and ah ha!
Discover auxiliary vacuum system switch and viola, headlights pop up and
we're back on the road to St. Louis. Dash still dark, though.
Top ten ways
to stay awake while driving all night:
10. Do stupid risky things
like snap photographs while driving.
9. Concentrate on judging
speed based on combined volume of road noise and engine roar.
8. Hold long conversations
with Rosie.
7. Chug coffee dosed with
twelve sugar packs. Turbo-charge resulting sugar high with leftover
Halloween candy.
6. Change radio station after
every song, unless next song is by Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty, Blue Oyster
Cult, or the BeeGees.
5. Chew three sticks of Big
Red chewing gum at once.
4. Listen to right-wing talk
radio and rant.
3. Dig out big, club-sized
flashlight, monitor speed every five minutes. A steady 72 mph. Damn I'm
good.
2. Pet Rosie till she begs me
to stop so she, at least, can get some sleep.
And the number one way I stay
awake:
1. Belt out ABBA's
"Dancing Queen" like an opera school washout.
As the sun comes up, roar
into St. Louis. Death rattle erupts from Vette's engine and brake warning
light starts going on and off. Hustle Vette off to a friend's mechanic and
arrive downtown just in time for...
*See the "Howdy,
Neighbor!" chapter in the book.
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