Action Movie

It is with some trepidation that I now drive over the new retractable bridge after a near early-morning adventure this week.

There’s excuses for being late to work but this one would have taken the cake had it played out the way my vivid imagination foresaw in the moments of panic that ensued after being trapped between two barricades signaling that the part of the bridge I was on was about to lift 90 degrees.

I noticed the red stop lights start to flash as I followed the car in front of me over the bridge but, because they had only begun flashing, believed there to be plenty of time. However, two seconds later, the car in front slammed to a sudden halt and the people inside began frantically looking behind them as their reverse lights came on.

But they had no where to go as I had nowhere to go - there was a tightly-packed line of cars behind us. The car behind managed to just squeeze back far enough to miss the barricade as it swung down in front of it, thereby blocking the exit of the two cars remaining in the middle of the bridge.

I was one of them.

Was this the part where the bridge lifted up with us on it? Visions of abandoning my car and making a desperate leap for safety played out. Or worse, if it had already begun lifting, I would have had to cling to the end, like Annie in the movie, as it rose into the air. 

I had Annie fresh on my mind as I had just hauled out the video (yes video) from my childhood to show Miss Five the evening before in the lead-up to the show this weekend.

Except this would be worse, because I would be dodging flying cars from those trapped on the ascending bridge as I made my escape.

Confused panic seemed to be setting in around me. The bridge still wasn’t moving but it could just be a matter of time and I wasn’t about to stick around to find out when. Grabbing my bag, I lunged for the door handle … but that was as far as I got in my adventure. Some kind person at the other end of a monitor must have pushed a button and the barricades rose to let us out. Trouble was there was no where to go.

Then the people behind me indicated we reverse onto the other side of the road. After-all, it wasn’t like any traffic would be coming through on that side for a while. Duh.

With all the cars safely on either side, the bridge did its thing and the barge passed through underneath, its occupants probably confused by the hold-up.

We sat in our cars and waited in silent newly-found comradeship, like the aftermath bonding from a natural disaster.

The bridge re-opened and we parted on our merry ways. I was thankful I hadn’t inadvertently starred in a local action movie. Still, had I survived, it would’ve made a jolly good yarn for being late for work.