A Thrilling Drive

 A Thrilling Drive

by 

Karen Jennings 

 

"It's such a nice evening for a drive," Eleanor told Will as they drove the stretch of gravel road west of Lakefield, Kansas. It was a bit cool for April, and the 1914 Oakland's open-air build didn't protect her from the elements. Her pea coat and gloves kept her snug, and her favorite black wool wide-brimmed hat protected her hair from tangling and her face from too much wind. 

"You're not too cold?" With admiration filling his eyes, Will glanced at his best girl at her classy look. His gloved hands never left the steering wheel of his Oakland Six motorcar. "And I hope you enjoy the surprise I have for you." 

"I'm warm as a bug in a rug. And please tell me what you're up to." 

Will slowed the car as he pulled it to the side of the road. "Alright. We're here." He climbed from the vehicle, went around, and opened the door. He swept his arm wide, waiting for her to get out. 

Eleanor's sweet smile faded. "We're in the middle of nowhere." 

He took her hand in his gloved one and helped her stand. Guiding her to the driver's side of the car, he opened the door. "Hop in, Sweetheart." 

He chuckled at the surprise covering her face. "I, I…no!" She shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. "I can't drive your car!" 

Laughter filled the cool evening air. "That's why I'm teaching you!" Trust framed his blue eyes as he looked at her. 

Excuses tumbled from her lips, but he shushed her. "Do you need help getting in?" 

Confidence replaced the unshed tears. She gave him a glare. "Of course not!" She stepped on the running board, sat in the seat, and placed her hands on the steering wheel. 

Will stayed at her side. "I don't have to adjust the seat for you; it's just right!" 

"That's a plus, isn't it?" A little smile played around her mouth, and her cheeks warmed. Will must trust her because he loved his car and cared about keeping it clean, oiled, and up to par. He would never allow anyone to drive it. 

While he instructed her with the essential driving information, he assured her, "I'll be right beside you, so relax and let's have fun." He climbed into the Oakland. 

With each command, Eleanor responded, and she drove the Oakland down the road, little puffs of dust kicking up behind the wheels. Will's small talk comforted her as anxiety melted away. What a great feeling of freedom to drive a machine instead of a horse and buggy or a bumpy old farm wagon. 

"There's a curve up ahead, remember? When you get there, please slow down and maneuver around it. We'll stop, and I'll take over." 

Eleanor glanced at him and smiled. Will was calm. His arm rested on the top of the seat, his fingers near her shoulder. What a great surprise this was! Her body relaxed even more, confidence building with each roll of the tires. "Why don't I stop before we get to the curve…just in case?" 

Will shook his head, "Nah, you're doing great, kid!" His smile was infectious. "You can go a little faster to get the feel of speed." 

Eleanor put pressure on the pedal, and the car moved faster. The butterflies that swarmed her belly earlier seemed to fly away with the vehicle as it traveled smoothly toward the setting sun. Cool wind ruffled her hair beneath her hat. But the black felt hat flew away when a gust roared through the car. 

"Oh!" Caught off guard, she watched the hat tumble and land on the dusty roadway. It would be ruined.

 Eleanor caught sight of a car rounding the curve, heading toward them. Panic punched her belly as she pushed the brake pedal, jerking the steering wheel to the right. The Oakland screeched and whined as the back tires caught the loose gravel. Sliding into the ditch, it roared to a stop.

 Dust billowed, covering them with fine grit. The other car pulled to the side of the roadway, and the driver rushed to help. "Are you okay? What happened?"

 Tears slid down Eleanor’s face as she sat rigid and still. She couldn't get a word to leave her mouth. What had she done? What if the car was broken? She'd have to pay for it! And Will would never let her drive again! Worst of all, she would never want to drive again, ever. Dread seized her heart. What if they broke up over this wreck? She would be a wreck if that happened!

 Fortunately, Will remained calm. "My lady lost her hat, and I do believe she reacted by hitting the brake a bit hard."

 "I'll wait and make sure it starts up again before I skedaddle into town," the older man told them.

 Sure enough, Will brought the Oakland to life again, and they waved to the man as he left. Turning onto the roadway, he braked. Taking Eleanor's hand, he squeezed. "Are you okay? No bumps or scratches?"

  "No, I'm fine." Her heart said otherwise. A tear betrayed her. "I'm sorry, Will!"

 He shook his head. "Silly, we are safe, the Oakland isn't hurt, so cheer up. We've had a grand adventure! At least I know what the old girl will do on a dusty, gravelly road!" His chuckle was harmony to her ears. “But…” he looked at her. “We may have to buy you a new hat.”

 "Why do you surprise me all the time?" She cocked her head and stared at him.

 His look did the talking. "Because I intend to marry you one day!" 

The End

I hope you enjoyed reading this partial scene from my historical womens fiction novel, A Path To a Promise. If you did, please leave me a comment below. Writers love hearing from readers, it’s important to connect and encourage one another. Have a blessed day ~ Karen  

 

OCTOBER: Falling Leaves, Pumpkins & Apples, Hunter's Moon, Nat'l Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Family History Month, OH MY!

 October's glorious days are my favorite month of the year. Like all the months of the year, it is filled with days to celebrate many things, from Celebrate Pasta to World Singing Day! It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and ADHD Month to recognize our need to be aware of our health. 

October is Family History Month, a time to celebrate our heritage and document the people who came before us. Family history is my jam, and I get a thrill at the discoveries I make and those to come. 

Today, you no longer have to drive across the country scouring courthouses and other institutions to dig through musty old records. The internet is alive with genealogy websites to help you find your family roots. I'm not getting compensated for this, but I highly recommend Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com for those interested in starting your family history search. Once you build a family tree on Ancesty.com, you will begin a journey like no other. 

The brick-and-mortar historical and genealogy societies, museums, and libraries in your area offer structured help for genealogists searching for their family stories. Visit your local society, which usually sells county history books that may help you discover where your people lived. Libraries and bookstores offer great genealogy books and magazines to help you.  

I have visited all the area institutions and gleaned what I could from their resources. Now, it's easiest to get online and look at what documents are offered there.  

There are lots of ways to keep your family history. From paper versions written in 30-ring binders to online family trees, you might want to record your loved ones talking about their life experiences! To keep the recordings with their voices is a treasure for you and your children to hear Grandma's and Grandpa's voices. 

It’s easy to set up your family tree with genealogy software or popular websites dedicated to the subject. As mentioned above, I recommend using Ancestry.com to start your family tree. It has optional subscriptions with a small price tag, but when you get started, Ancestry will lead you to find many records, documents, and family for your family tree. Ancestry has professional researchers who can do some of the more complex research, or if you have met a brick wall in your research, they can guide you to helpful information. 

Newspapers.com is my other go-to resource for finding not only family information but general historical information as well. I love spending time in their incredible online archives. The bits and pieces of my family's lives are sprinkled throughout time and detailed by the local newspapers. 

October is a fun-filled month, and the days are usually warm, so you can get outdoors and hurry inside when the crispy fall night creeps in. So much is going on with school back in session with fall sports, autumn activities and festivals, and the ushering-in of the holidays. Fall is the perfect time to grab your camera and get those pictures of your family living life. Take advantage of walking, go to fall festivals, and snap beautiful photos of autumn fruits, veggies, and decorations. Many festivals offer historical programs that provide scenarios for pioneer days and Civil War era reenactments. Enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and people dressed in period costumes in a beautiful fall setting.

Get outdoors, view the Full Hunter's Moon, and listen to the crickets singing the last songs of the year. And snap colorful photos of your family that will be treasured for years. Remember to label your snapshots with complete information identifying who, what, when, where, and sometimes how and why.

With the blazing colors of autumn right around the corner, remember those harvest gatherings, elementary school parties, hayrides, the cute scarecrows, fall garden splendor, and pumpkin patch outings. October is an excellent month to start researching your family history or continue with what you’ve already accomplished. What a fun time to be indoors and outdoors. Capture your family history this fall. Happy October!