onto her lap and take the stick, and
she’d call out the gears as we drove.
There was this one part of the road
that ran deep into a valley and then
back up the other side. We’d get up
a head of speed, and we’d stick it
into neutral and let go of the brake
and the clutch, and, woo-hoo!, we’d
race down the hill and then, zoom!,
we’d shoot up the other side. We
were flying.
If we weren’t at school or work
or church, we were out exploring.
My mom’s attitude was “I chose
you, kid. I brought you into this
world, and I’m going to give you
everything I never had.” She poured