1977. I hopped into Allison’s blue Volkswagen Bug. We manually rolled open the windows and the sunroof, lit our Merritt Cigarettes. She turned up the music and we cruised around singing “bye-bye Miss American Pie.” Suddenly, Allison slammed on the brakes and our bodies lurched forward. A wire fence stopped us from soaring off a cliff into a hole in the ground. Mouths agape, we stared ahead in silence, then looked at each other and laughed until our eyes watered. We were Thelma and Louise before Thelma and Louise; best friends driving around in a Bug, loving our teenage freedom.
Meg McGovern is an author, retired teacher, and speaker. Meg has a published book and is working on her memoir. Essays appear in the Brevity Blog. linktr.ee/megmcgovern