Living on the Edge

     "No you can't bring McKenna, why do you want to bring that thing anyways?"

     "'Cause she's my best friend, mom!"

     "Well why does she need all of these clothes?"

     "You don't want her wearing the same thing two days in a row, do you?

     "Fine, two outfits."

     "Five."

     "Three."

     "Four."

     "Fine."

     "Yes! Thank you, mom. You're the best."

     Francine hated packing. Even before she had Lillian, she couldn't stand the struggle of trying to remember everything she needed for a trip. No matter how extensive her preparations, she always found a way to forget something. Now that she had a second person to pack for, she was certain that she'd leave something behind. With every aspect of the vacation she had to take into account, Lillian's American Girl Doll and her closet of outfits were the last things on Francine's mind.

     Still running through mental checklists, Francine put the luggage in the car, and the the Allen family was on the road. The road trip was an escape for Francine from the stress that had accumulated from the pressure of scrambling to remember all the necessities for the excursion. Her burdening schedule allowed for very little personal time, so she truly cherished these times with her daughter. Francine took full advantage of Lillian not being quite to the age that her mother's obnoxious singing bothered her. She popped in her cassette tape titled Road Trip Jams and began to belt out "Sweet Home Alabama."

     "Sweet home Alabama. Where the skies are so blue. Sweet home Alabama. Lord, I'm coming home to...Oh my God!"

     Just then, as they were crossing the two-lane bridge that connected the two sides of the river, a pickup truck drifted onto their side of the road. Francine tried to pull as far over as possible, but the car kept coming. They hit the traffic barrier, and spun out of control. Teetering over the edge of the bridge, Francine held on for dear life while she tried to get as much weight transferred to the back of the vehicle as possible. When the car finally settled, it stayed on the bridge, and Francine and Lillian were able to crawl out of the back.

                                                                ****

     As Francine held her bawling daughter tight in the back of the ambulance, the policeman, who got the statement from Francine, revealed to her a truly amazing element of how the car stayed on the bridge. Less than a pound was the difference between their falling or not. When they opened the trunk back up, there was a bag on top, that Francine did not remember packing. Inside of this bag was none other than the complete closet of McKenna, the American Girl Doll who could not wear the same outfit twice on one vacation.