Not Your Mother’s Lane Change

I remember lane changes as being a family affair when I was a child.  A slightly terrifying and anxiety-ridden family affair.  The lane change would be announced in a panicky voice and all were expected to take heed and participate!  Each occupant in the car did their own head-check and some verbal opinion of whether or not there was impending doom.  If there was no screech of tires or honking, the change was successful.  The elevated heartbeats lingered for several minutes.

Sadly, five-point harnesses in child carseats  make turning around almost impossible, and thus have made family lane changes obsolete…or so I thought.

On the drive to school this morning, I turned on my blinker to indicate that I was going to change lanes.   Jack  suddenly screamed, “Mama!  They are shooting their white bullets at us!!”  The urgency in his voice alarmed me at first.  Then I looked and saw that the freeway lines did indeed resemble moving bullets.  “Shields up!” I yelled as I crossed through the bullets. Then, “Oh no, I think we’ve been hit!”    Jack quickly quieted his voice, “It’s ok, I think we are going to make it!”  I scared him a little with my gusto, I think.  The lane change was successful, and our elevated heartbeats lingered for several minutes.