This past Saturday night, my best friend, Melissa, and I went to the beach. We had been invited to a dance there and for the most part, had enjoyed ourselves. Dancing right up next to the ocean has a certain charm to it. After the dance, like any Californian would, we made a late night In-N-Out stop. It was glorious. As we pulled out of the parking lot to head home, the car started to make all these weird noises. Convinced our car was either possessed or broken, we hoped that the car could just last us the 45 minute drive home. We weren’t so lucky. The poor little car could only handle about 45 seconds on the freeway. As Melissa pulled over, I realized that we couldn’t just walk home or call mommy. This was the real deal.

All alone and unable to find a spare to change our flat tire, we called AAA to see how long it would take for a tow truck to come pick us up and take us to safety. After being on hold for about 10 minutes, we got frustrated. We were on the side of the freeway, in the dark, in the cold, and arguably not in the best part of town. And it was late. Cars kept whizzing around the bend and almost hitting Melissa’s car. Semi trucks shook the ground when they thundered past. We were not only cold, but we were scared. What if we got robbed out here? I banished those thoughts with a shiver.

We finally got a hold of AAA and they had told us that it would be about a 40 minute wait for our tow truck. It wasn’t exactly ideal, given our current location, but it was doable. So. Sitting on the side of a cold, dark freeway we just had time to kill. I looked around, this time really taking in my surroundings. Far off, I noticed a sad looking willow tree, bathed in the night shadows. Underneath it, was a pile of garbage. It looked like someone lived there, and I was betting at this point that if I walked closer, it would smell like someone lived there, too. I prayed that whatever tenant occupied that space was either not home or on a vacation of some sort. The street lights began flickering, giving a sort of eerie ambiance. Just what I wanted, I thought. Melissa and I talked and joked, just like always, but we both knew we couldn’t wait to get off of this freeway. I kept looking over my shoulder at the sad willow tree home. Something wasn’t right. I heard a rustling of leaves and almost had a heart attack. A man had stumbled out of the willow. Obviously very drunk, he started for my friend and I. Not particularly in the mood to strike up friendly conversation with this individual, Melissa and I hurriedly got into the car and locked it tight. This didn’t stop him. He neared the car and I got a better look at him. He had a scraggly brown beard and when he opened his mouth to yell at us, he revealed an almost toothless smile. Almost Toothless began pulling on our locked car door, rocking the car with his drunken force. Terrified, Melissa called 911, but I don’t know how the operator understood a word she was saying because of the screams that I now realize must have been coming out of my mouth. He was quickly getting frustrated and began screaming obscenities and pulling harder on the door handle. Almost Toothless began pounding on the window and punched through it, showering us in glass. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed as hard as I did in this moment. I guessed my guardian angel was off-duty because he managed to get the car door open. At this point, I was desperate. Time slowed down and I knew I couldn’t run. My other options were to fight or to just get taken away by this crazy man. He looked to be about 6’3, it would be a hard fight. My mind was racing, but apparently, it wasn’t fast enough because Almost Toothless had started pulling my leg, just like I’m pulling your leg right now.