Adrenaline

If I seem a bit frantic, well, it's because I have good reason. I'm bouncing. I've avoided driving for a week because of all the snow and ice. Today, being the first day where the roads are safe, I took my daughter to her karate dojo, popped to the gym with the hard negotiated permission to get fit from my doctor (I still think it's one of the most ridiculous situations I've EVER encountered), and then home for an hour of hardcore gossiping with my old friends, organising a weekend away.

I got back to pick my daughter up at just after 10 and tootled towards home. About 3/4 mile from home, but on a major road I drew up to the traffic lights, but when they turned to green I put my foot on the clutch and it just snapped and fell to the floor. I coasted to the side of the road and weighed up my situation (freezing cold, 14 year old in car with a woman, 10.30pm, main road, hmm, freezing cold, ooh and i needed a pee) and phoned the AA. They said that 'as a priority' they'd be at least an hour. Good job we were coming back from a karate dojo eh and not a couple of wimpy women in a car on their own in the dark, needing a pee.

I spoke with the far more experienced driver that is the Adrenaline Junkie and he suggested that I could go slowly in first gear and get home. I decided to give it a go. Trouble is you've got to start in first (ie lurch forward) and when you have to stop you immediately lurch and stall, before having to lurch forward and start again. I got through the first set of traffic lights like this, crawled up the high street and at the second set struggled to get it to turn over, but gladly it did. 5mph all the way home I got to the house and turned on to my forecourt and took the foot of the accelerator to brake. It gave one almighty lurch and shot forward (no foot on accelerator) rammed into the parked trailer which jumped in the air smashing the front porch sill, scratching the neighbours bumper and...totally writing off my little car!!

I almost laughed and then I remembered - I'm only third party. Now, I know... no one was hurt...but it's not true, my little car is terminal. It's so sad, my first car and I've totalled it after a week of avoiding dangerous driving. I totalled it at less than 10mph. I've done the bumper, the lights, the bonnet and not forgetting that fabulously broken clutch I'm calculating it won't be worth fixing and I can't afford to replace it either. I'm really dread to use the credit card but don't know how to manage the family piano lessons, karate, etc without a car for when the Adrenaline Junkie is at work.

I wrecked my car, did I mention that to you? I crashed it into my house. Poor car. Poor house. Poor me.