Flashback Friday -- Welcome to the Lake!

Time: Spring 1999

Place: In a small car blasting down a country road

A couple of months previous to this incident, I had discovered just how serious my parents were about my curfew when I had pushed my limits a little too far and gotten my driving privileges taken away for 2 weeks. When they said to be home at 9:30, they actually meant 9:30... not 9:40 or 9:45 or even 9:31.

On this particular night, Chris and I had gone out on a date and my curfew was 10:00pm. We were running a little late and I was freaking out that I wouldn't make it home by 10. Chris decided to shortcut to town on country roads. He lived about 10 miles out of town and knew the roads well, so I trusted him.

He was driving a little faster (okay, a lot faster) than I was comfortable with (which is something we STILL bicker about *grin*), but I didn't want to be late, so I didn't say anything. Just as we came over a big hill, down into a valley, we drove straight INTO THE LAKE!!!

The entire car was submerged in water.

If I had been in the driver's seat, we would have been in big trouble. I don't react well under pressure, and we would have probably just floated away in the night. BUT, Chris is a fast reactor and immediately put the car in reverse and backed out of the water which had completely flooded the road.

After backing out of the water, we just sat there for a second. Chris looked at me and asked me if I was okay. I muttered uh-huh as I watched water and mud and leaves and seaweed and kelp drip down the windows and off the car. Okay, so maybe not seaweed and kelp, but a that point I was so freaked out that I didn't know what I was seeing.
Oh, and I did end up making it home just in time. When my parents asked how my evening had been, I completely left out anything about the lake.

Of course, they were quite puzzled by the big clump of seaweed they found in the driveway the next morning. *grin*