the road

Driving south on the 5 highway, on my way home from a solo road trip to San Fransisco, I spotted a canary yellow convertible in my rear view mirror. It was one of those classic cars, wide and regal. It had either been restored or otherwise meticulously maintained over the decades, as the car looked almost new. It happened to be a beautiful day. As the car moved closer -it was in the lane just to my right and a car's span behind- I couldn't help but be curious as to who the driver of this car could be. I strained to see the person, struggling to catch her in my line of sight. Then she appeared. She must have been in her mid to late sixties, with a head of gray hair, cropped short to her ears. She wore big Jackie-O sunglasses. And of course, the top to the convertible was down. In my mind's eye, when I think back to that day, I picture a scarf wrapped around her head, blowing with the wind. Or instead, I imagine a large wide-brimmed hat, white, that she tries to hold to her head but gets swept far away by the wind. But I know, as I look down at the notes I made that same day, that there was no scarf, no hat. If I were putting that scene on film, I would definitely add one, though.

As her car got closer to mine and I was able to get a better look, I noticed how free she seemed. She was alone, she was smiling as though she were the happiest woman on earth, not a care in the world. What a fun woman, I thought to myself. Driving to who knows where, top down in her fancy yellow convertible. Ordinarily, I would find the color quite repulsive, but here it seemed... appropriate. It was sunshine on wheels. In this instance, it only added to the joie de vive of the scene. I kept one eye on the road ahead of me, and one eye on her. Who was she? Perhaps a widow who was on her way to visit her grandchildren in Los Angeles. Or a wife who was just on a drive while her husband played golf with his friends. No, that one didn't seem right. She seemed more likely to be the kind of woman who would join the men on the green. Perhaps I was wrong to assume she had a family at all. Maybe she was single, never having gotten married, enjoying the new car she bought for herself for her birthday -or even better, just because.

My mind continued to wander as we drove further south on the highway. I wondered if we would be driving like this, next to one another, for the next several hours. Then a song came on that distracted me and I found myself forgetting about her for a while. A little while later, I realized that I had not been keeping an eye on that yellow car and it was no longer in sight. I sighed. I should have paid better attention. But why? What difference would it have made? I continued listening to the radio, daydreaming, when she again appeared out of nowhere -this time just to my immediate right. I turned to get a better look at her and -as though she sensed me looking at her- she turned to her left and smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. I couldn't explain the feeling then, nor can I now, but I wanted to be friends with this woman. She seemed like she would be the kind of favorite aunt I'd look up to and want to spend time with. Maybe I saw a bit of myself -a few decades from now- in her. I looked ahead and saw the turnoff to another highway and wondered where it lead to. A moment later, she turned off onto the road. I kept my eyes on the yellow until it shrunk into the distance.

Happy New Year

Dear 2010, I do not begrudge you the bumps and bruises, the scrapes and scars, for with them came laughter and love, lessons learned, smiles and hugs, flowers, rainbows and poetry...for that, I thank you.