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The tree jumped out at me, I swear!

It was just a matter of time, really, before I ran into a tree at my in-law's house. They have a long, narrow, snaky driveway that is lined by trees on both sides. Mostly I try to NOT go in reverse in their driveway at all. Last night I didn't have a choice, and my number came up.

I heard the crunch, and then I heard what sounded like raindrops -- a tinkling noise coming from the rear of the car. I thought, okay, I hit a tree, and now things -- pine cones? acorns? squirrels? -- are falling out of the tree onto my car. I raised my head and looked back, to discover that 1) yes, I HAD hit a tree and 2) the things that were falling were pieces of my shattered back windshield.

My sister-in-law, Amy, was with me; we got out, surveyed the damage, and then went into the house to tell Chris. "You're back so soon?" my mother-in-law asked when we walked through the door. Amy mouthed the words, "Krista hit a tree." Mallory, who was ACROSS THE ROOM, somehow deciphered this and bellowed, "My MOMMY hit a TREE with her CAR!" Thanks! See if I cover up for YOU when you wreck YOUR car for the first time, kiddo!

Anyway, as accidents go, this one wasn't all that bad. No one was hurt; even the tree was unscathed. My children were not in the car, which is particularly good because I was certainly letting the profanity fly when it all first happened. The tailgate has a small dent, the back windshield needs replacing, but it'll all be covered by insurance, so no problem. It's an annoyance because I have to miss work to go get estimates and so forth, and it's no fun driving around with a big piece of plastic on the back of your car (you don't realize how much you use your rearview mirror until you no longer can), but it's not that serious.

Probably the worst part of it is that I feel like a complete idiot.

Comments

MomofK9s said…
I felt so bad for you! But I had to laugh when the girls were all excited to ride home because it sounded like an airplane. I'll bet that excitement only last a few seconds!
Anonymous said…
Is this the first accident that you have had? Lucky that it wasn't any more serious.

BTW, I loved The Golden Compass and am loving The Subtle Knife.

Mom
H Noble said…
That stinks, but I'm glad it wasn't worse. And I'm sure the embarrassment is worth than anything- kudos to you for sharing it publicly!
Holly
aimee said…
Glad you and the tree are okay! :)

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