AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Brake!” All three Widows screamed in unison.
Instead of downshifting like Marge had taught me, I slammed on the brakes. We all surged forward with a grunt as the tires squealed and the engine stalled, stopping right before we bowled into the flock of terrified looking sheep. They scurried across faster while we sat panting in the car.
“What in the holy hell, Doris?” Marge scolded. “You almost killed those poor helpless sheep and turned them into mutton!”
“I thought I had to downshift like you told me, and I panicked!”
“Out.” Marge opened her door.
“What?” I asked, turning to look at her.
“Out!” she shouted as she jumped out, her voice trailing off as she ran around the car and opened my door. “Out.”
I looked at the sweet sheep I’d almost turned into roadkill, and I didn’t argue. Trying to remember what to do, I shifted the car into neutral, unbuckled my seat belt and jumped out. When my feet hit the ground, I looked at Marge and said, “Sorry. I really just wanted to drive.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I know, Doris. But we want to live, so we’re done letting you drive. Ever.”
With an exaggerated frown, I nodded. “Okay. Probably a good idea.”
“Hey! We’re rolling!” Sylvie screamed.
I spun around to see the little red car starting backward down the slight incline we were on.
“Oh, shit!” Marge shouted, pushing me out of the way as she launched toward the car. “Didn’t you put on the parking brake? Hold on, girls! I’m coming! I’ve got you!”
She missed the door by inches, and the car picked up momentum as it rolled away.
“Ahhhh! Help! Help!” Alice and Sylvie screamed from the back seat.
Marge ran forward after them with surprising speed and dove into the open door. Her little Velcro shoes kicked in the air before she disappeared inside. The car bumped off the paved road and went backward down a small ditch into a green field to the chorus of screaming Widows before Marge got it to stop.
I stood on the road with a sea of sheep behind me and whispered, “Oops.”
***
“You’re buying,” Margesaid as we finally stepped into the little pub. “The punishment for almost killing us is you pay for drinks to celebrate that we didn’t actually die.”
“Of course, of course. I really am sorry. I’m so sorry,” I apologized for the one hundredth time since the nice sheep herder had come along and helped us push the car out of the ditch and get back on the road. I’d said sorry so many times that I thought I may lose my voice.
“You can stop apologizing, Doris. No one was hurt,” Sylvie said sweetly. “We’re all okay.”
“We almost died,” Alice said as we made our way to the bar. “I literally saw my life flashing before my eyes. My beautiful, wonderous life. The one you almost snatched from me because you didn’t put the damn parking brake on.”
“You’re just lucky I’m a lot spryer than I look.” Marge pulled up a stool. “Not many people could have jumped into a moving car like that. Cripes. I’m like a superhero. Someone get me a cape.”
“You’re our hero always.” Sylvie gave Marge a squeeze on the shoulder and a kiss on the head before sitting down next to her.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated, slinking into the last stool.
“No more apologizing,” Sylvie said.
“Maybe once more since you almostkilled us.” Alice gave me a side-eye.
My neck sucked down into my shoulders. “Sorry.”
“And what’s up with the damn sheep?” Alice asked. “Twice? We got stuck waiting for themtwice?It’s like they wait for us to come by and then someone shoves them out in the road. They can’t always be crossing the road, can they? Is there some sheep attracting beacon we’re wearing? It’s ridiculous is what it is.”
“Why did the sheep cross the road?” Marge asked, smiling.
