My husband, Paul, came home Monday afternoon with a gift for me. He came in with a plain box saying "I was going to wrap it but if you don't care....." Of course I didn't mind and eagerly took the box.....an Emergency Safety Hammer!!And not just any Emergency Safety Hammer....a deluxe model equipped with flashlight and mounting bracket! The instructions say "use pointed end to strike the glass in case passengers are locked or trapped inside vehicle. Use cutter blade to cut the seat belt in case of emergency." Now before you say, "oh god, Paul's in trouble. What kind of man gives his wife a gift of an emergency safety hammer," let me tell you that I was very pleased! I have ALWAYS wanted one of these! Honest!! Not that a piece of jewelry wouldn't also have pleased me but this was a GOOD gift. He knew I would like this.
I have very few phobias. I'm not afraid of spiders (I don't like them but I'm not afraid) or snakes (I think they are very cool) or mice (they're only THIS big?!) or bats (mice with wings, very cool!) I'm not afraid of most of the usual things that tend to make women scream and run out of a room. BUT I am afraid of being trapped in a car under water. You hit the water, the electrical system shorts out and the electric windows don't work! Down you go. So driving over a body of water on a bridge makes my heart palpitate. I've reported this phobia to friends who say "but you used to be a scuba diver!" True enough. So put my tank and regulator in the car with me and I won't be as afraid. Not very convenient.
We have a time share in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Last May was our first time there, and we drove the coastal route south which took us over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. TWENTY-THREE miles of Bay Bridge-Tunnel! And guess who was driving that leg of the trip down as Paul napped?! But I was cool, I can handle this. By the end of it, I was driving 80 miles per hour! Get me off this {bleeping} bridge!!!
But this year, I am set to go. I will have my trusty Emergency Safety Hammer with flashlight nearby in the car, and I will feel much safer. Like the package says It could save your life! I'm counting on it. And if the bridge really gets to me, I can always hit myself in the head with the hammer and sleep the rest of the way!
Image from Google Images
