Rover in the road

Katherine and I are very much alike which is one of the reasons I suspect we clash so much. If there's any opportunity for mischief I know she'll grab it. I know this because I have very clear memories of my own mischievous behavior. And Katherine and Caroline love to hear about all the times I misbehaved as a child - something my mother has been enjoying indulging them with during our visit!

One of the stories that both girls love to hear is about me running some errands with my mother when I was three years old. The bank was our first stop. My mother left me inside the Rover, in the front seat and told me she was running into the bank and would be right back. As a final parting word she reminded me not to touch anything.

I watched as she rounded the corner and disappeared into the bank and then I immediately reached out and grabbed the gear shift, shifting the car into neutral. With no parking brake on, the Rover slowly slipped off the slight incline into the street and stopped in the road. Terrified, I hid as much of myself as possible under the front seat.

When my mother returned a few moments later she was shocked to discover the car blocking traffic in the middle of the street and no sign of me. When she found me under the front seat she was so relieved that I was spared punishment.

Tonight, on our walk to a neighborhood restaurant, I showed Caroline the exact spot where the incident occurred and she took a picture of me with my mother:

In the picture we're standing on the very incline that the Rover rolled down. The bank is still there. That's Caroline's finger covering up the lower left corner of the frame.