Driving With Elsie Ross

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Driving with Elsie: Collected stories Driving the grandchildren around or going on a routine road trip with sisters is nothing that seems extraordinary or eventful. However the comfort and safety felt from such experiences is almost always shattered for Elsie Gertrude Ross. So much so that the loss of control of the steering wheel which is tightly gripped by her sweaty and desperate hands, along with the inevitable bashing of her datson, is an experience all too common to her. Sometimes it seems like her near fatal experiences trigger her time to slow down, so much so that it could almost stop. Although this time doesn't stop, and instead the misfortune of Elsie and her car continues. The beauty of the ‘Highway” The trip home from Wagga …show more content…

Ida visited her parents significantly less than Elsie did, however no such guilt struck her. Probably because although she could be described relaxed and easy going, her laid back attitude was mostly and correctly interpreted as ditzy. Nevertheless they continued their trek and dreamt of the glorious weekend that they would both have, anywhere but on the boring highway. But something about the way the decaying wheels of the iconic car rolled along the furbished road seemed unordinary to the two. The way the sunset in front of them was breathtaking and the straightness off the road seemed too good to be true. As though overnight a whole lifetime of this journey was morphed into something that might actually be enjoyable rather than seem like a chore. This feeling however, was short lived. Suddenly the beauty of this highway, the smoothness off the road, the extremely calm and ever so non existent traffic made sense to Elsie, and and the hope for a more enjoyable weekly experience diminished. This wasn't the highway she thought it was, it wasn't apart of their route home and it was certainly not somewhere they should be. It was the Albury airport runway, the place meant for planes and not Elsie and her …show more content…

The way her mother woke every morning without any complaints and walked her exhausted body to work was somewhat of an inspiration. However on this day Melissa sort of resented the fact that her mother was busy working, as this meant another dreaded lift was required from Elsie. Meaning another uncomfortable rest on those worn out and scratched seats, another struggle to move among the junk scattered among the floor of certainly another tense and sickening feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach. Nevertheless the dreaded journey was coming to an end and the routine sigh was yet again exhaled from Melissa's tense body as Elsie was pulling up to park at her workplace. However in this instance, her exhale of relief was premature and unbeknown to her at this moment, thing were about to get

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