THE NARRATIVE ARC
My Worst Fear Happened on The Freeway
We’d been on that road many times before
The Tule fog, a weather phenomenon unique to Central California, feels like a thick gray blanket thrown over the immediate world. Driving becomes impossible. Seeing the road is a struggle, and headlights don't help much. A supernatural quality adds to the feeling of uneasiness.
I hated driving in the Tule fog—more than I hated driving in rain, snow, and hail.
Older driver
I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was thirty, which made me a senior driver in California. Neither my parents nor brother drove, and no one encouraged me to separate myself from my family pack of nondrivers. After many lessons and failing the driver’s test a few times, I passed and got my license.
My nerves intensified when I drove on the highway, but I did it anyway. I lived in Southern California and had family and friends to see in Northern California. If I wanted to see my people often, I had to drive myself. It was the cheapest way.
I drove to Las Vegas and all over California for nearly twenty years. I cannot pinpoint when everything changed, but I became less confident and more anxious with every long-distance drive.
