Memories From Out of the Dark

Yesterday at church one of my members told a story about his first bicycle.  I love stories like this and so I hung on every word he said as his story unfolded.  The storytellers family was large and they only had one bike that they all had to share.  Two of the brothers found a bike frame, the sprockets, the gears and some tires and built a second bike.  They ran out of money before they could get tubes for the tires.  My storyteller came up with the ingenious idea to stuff the tires with socks.  It did not make the tires as tight as tubes would have....but it was better than nothing.  Several days later the two brothers rode down to a friend's house.  They played until nearly dark and on their way home the good bike of course moved a little ahead of the bike with the tires stuffed with socks....and then it happened.....a scary noise came from behind the youngest rider and he began to peddle faster and faster...so fast that he actually past and left the brother riding the bike with tubes.  I found myself chuckling out loud as the story came to a close. 

It reminded me of a funny moment in my life....which also involved wheels....you see one night, very late, my first husband and I headed home from his brothers.  The road we chose to take was a dirt road, one that always scared me.  Just after getting on the road the car died and we could not get it cranked again.  The only think left to do was push it about mile down the road to a house.  The road was slick and muddy and since I had never steered a car that was in neutral my husband told me to get in the back and push while he pushed and steered.  It was hard pushing in the mud....and my husband thought to himself that he wished I would help him push.  About that time, he slipped down into the mud and the car passed him by.  I did not even see him laying there in the mud.  You see, I had been pushing....I was terrified.  I heard noises I never want to hear again.  We made it to the house and were able to crank the car and head home.  It was not funny while it was happening, but it has grown funny over the years.  Have you got a story like this that you would care to share with me in a comment?  I would love to hear about it.