Traffic Report

We always take for granted that holidays are going to be happier than the rest of the year. I know that I was looking forward to a classic Samhain and also to a meeting of our Druid Grove on Sunday.

At 1:30 on October 31, I got a phone call from Mr. J. He got into a bad accident on Philadelphia's busiest highway. All he could tell me on the phone was that he was all right, but the car was demolished.

I had planned to leave work early that day anyway. As I drove home in our second car, a hopeless bucket of bolts on loan from Mr. J's mom, I heard the traffic report on the radio. You know these reports, if you live in a big city. They come on every ten minutes to report any accidents or tie-ups.

Mr. J's mishap was on the report as a "disabled vehicle" on I-676 westbound.

All I could tell myself was that he was okay. And that it couldn't have been his fault, because he's a safe driver. And that Subaru lives up to its hype.

But it was Samhain, and I couldn't sit still. With my phone in my pocket, I:

*loaded the basement with firewood
*raked the yard
*cleaned up the kitchen
*swept the porch
*lit every candle in the house
*set out the jack-o-lantern
*started doling out treats to the trick-or-treaters
*canceled Druid Grove

Mr. J. spent three and a half hours on the shoulder of the Sure Kill Expressway. They couldn't find a tow truck that could lift the car, since the car wheels locked on impact. He didn't make it to the auto body shop until 6:30. And even picking him up from there was a nail-biter, with all the little kids darting across the road in the dark.

When we finally got home, I lit a bonfire to the Gods and the Ancestors. Well, sort of a bonfire. Well, to tell the truth, kind of like a really little bonfire. Okay, okay, I loaded my outdoor shrine with candles. They looked beautiful all lit up in the darkness.

We're all safe and sound here today. Accidents happen, and no, of course it was not Mr. J's fault. I'm just glad he walked away. To be more precise, I'm glad he got driven away by the tow truck that could actually move the car.

I hope your Samhain was eventful in all ways but this. Have a happy new year!