In Another Car
Larry Adams had only one thing on his mind: catching a nap. After all, it wasn’t every day he got a break from work. But he hadn’t counted on Sarah Brown’s driving. If there was a NASCAR race for civilians, she’d be signing autographs at the finish line.
The car screeched around a sharp corner, and Larry, who’d been dozing off, nearly got launched into the passenger door. He sat bolt upright, heart pounding. So much for a peaceful ride.
He realized then—he’d clearly underestimated Sarah.
After another hair-raising brake slam, Larry couldn’t hold back his sarcasm: “Ms. Brown, this is a highway, not Daytona! Can we maybe focus on getting there in one piece?”
Sarah shot him a look of pure innocence. “I am being careful. See for yourself—I’m only going about fifty, maybe sixty miles an hour.”
Larry gawked at her. No way that was true. How did she make fifty miles an hour feel like the Millennium Falcon going into hyperspace?
“Let me see the speedometer. Seriously.”
His drowsiness was long gone. If he was going to die today, he wanted to witness it firsthand.
Sarah just shrugged. “Go ahead.”
So Larry watched. And to his utter confusion, the rest of the drive was smooth. No wild swerves, no brake-slamming, nothing. Sarah handled the car like a pro.
“See?” he said, baffled. “You’re doing fine now. What was up with all the Fast & Furious stuff before?”
Sarah blinked at him, all wide-eyed. “Mr. Adams, did you maybe dream it? You looked half-asleep.”
Larry frowned, suddenly unsure. “Maybe you’re right, Ms. Brown… Maybe I was dreaming.”
She seemed normal enough now. Maybe he was just tired. He slouched back in his seat, determined to squeeze in a few minutes of shut-eye.
But just as he was drifting off, that rollercoaster feeling hit him again—the unmistakable lurch of a car being thrown into a wild maneuver.
This time, Larry cracked an eye and watched. Sure enough, Sarah was up to her tricks. She was zipping between lanes, overtaking cars left and right, tapping the brakes just enough to keep him from getting comfortable.
Larry sat up, glaring at her. “Are you deliberately trying to keep me awake?”
Sarah looked genuinely surprised—she must’ve thought he was out cold. She hesitated, then slowed down, putting on her best poker face. “Huh? What are you talking about?”
Forty minutes later, Camila Davis and the rest of their group finally reached the base of the mountain. They spotted Sarah and Larry waiting for them—well, sort of.
Larry was doubled over by a tree, looking as green as a shamrock milkshake, retching his guts out.
Sarah stood by, holding a bottle of water, patting his back with a sheepish look.
“What on earth happened?” Camila asked Dennis Williams, frowning.
Dennis just shrugged, scooping up his daughter Lillian. “Let’s go check.”
As they got closer, Sarah was saying, “Mr. Adams, you could’ve just said you don’t like wild rides! If I’d known you were such a lightweight, I’d have taken it easy!”
She shook her head, unscrewing the water bottle and handing it to Larry. “Here, drink some water. You’ll feel better.”
Larry could only groan in reply, vowing never to nap in Sarah’s car again.
---

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start