Oh, can’t you just imagine it!

Four young ladies walking up the hill to their neighbor’s home for a lesson of piano. All of them wearing their empire waistline dresses, each step taken with care in a lady-like fashion!

Well, that’s not quite how it went today.

In our family there are two daughters, both taking piano lessons, both loving the elegance of feminine dress.

Our piano teacher’s driveway is a hill, a long hill, and it goes downhill all the way to their house. You must take into consideration that this driveway is icy, long, and did I mention downhill?

There was once the time when we got stuck after a lesson trying to go back up the hill in our car. There was also the time after a recital that we got stuck going up the icy hill – in our car.

I have said all this, so that you may now hear my story.

It is true.

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After many weeks of cloudy, drowsy days, a day of sunshine had risen. Three ladies were walking out to the truck, a mother and her two daughters. For privacy reasons we shall call the two young ladies Bertha and Matilda. The ladies had switched vehicles with their father. Since some of the roads were still a bit icy, they wanted to drive the truck so that they wouldn’t slide or get stuck.

Ever practicing their piano, the girls enjoyed music, as well as the challenges it brought. The elder, Bertha was taking lessons for congregational singing accompaniment. The second and youngest, Matilda, was taking lessons to enlarge and heighten her knowledge of music theory.

On their way to their teacher’s home, the subject of getting stuck on the Smith’s (we shall call them this, for privacy reasons) driveway. It was not a happy thought, but it was comforting to know they were driving their truck, and not their car.

They all arrived in a healthy safe condition. They walked up the shoveled path to the front door, and were greeted by the Smith’s youngest son, who had opened the door for the ladies. Their teacher, Mrs. Smith, called them into the living room where the baby grand was located. The lessons commenced.

Miss Matilda was first, and had quite the giggly lesson. For some reason – she could not tell – she was having the time of her life, laughing joyously. Miss Bertha’s lesson was next, and she was more focused and less easily distracted, as well as much more advanced in the study of playing piano.

Afterwords, they dressed for the outdoors accordingly. Hurrying to their truck to get out of the cold, they once again piled in. The mother started the vehicle, and backed out of the parking area – so far, so good. Then when she started up the hill, there was a loss of traction, but it was regained quickly.

The speedometer showed them going 40 mph, yet the vehicle was only progressing at about 4 mph. A long time it seemed to them to get up the hill, finally they were almost to the top.

Suddenly they stopped. The girls’ mother pushed on the accelerator, and the wheels went swirling, but but the truck went no where. She began to explain to her daughters how much she disliked the hill for this very reason.

Backing up, they tried again with a “running” start. Yet once again, the attempt failed. This process was repeated once more, then giving up, the ladies waited for Mr. Smith to come and save them.

Soon he was there, and the mother stepped out momentarily so that Mr. Smith could drive the truck where needed. After a few tries going up the hill, he went into the side-yard. With the wheels spinning, and the vehicle not going very far, Mr. Smith said, “It doesn’t have enough weight in the back, that’s why the truck isn’t getting any traction.”

Matilda offered for her and Bertha to sit in the back, and that was replied with, “That would probably help.” So they quickly hopped out, rushed around to the back, and climbed in. Their mother joined them.

With a few more tries around the yard and driveway, they just weren’t making much progress. More weight was needed for the back of the truck. So Matilda asked Mrs. Smith if she’d like to get in too, to see if it would help.

Mrs. Smith got into the back of the truck and was excitedly followed by her three sons. Immediately the occupants could feel that there was more traction between the truck and the icy snow. But alas, it still seemed like there was not enough weight.

The girls’ mother offered for her husband to come and pick the three of them up, and that they could pick up the truck a few days later when the snow melted. But Mrs. Smith said, “It’s a thing guy thing now, he’ll have to conquer it.”

Then, the truck took off. Up the hill it went with Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their three boys, along with the mother and two daughters. Yay! Cheers all around! Safely the vehicle arrived at the top of the hill, and made its way to the road.

Ah, what relief. The owners piled into their truck and headed for home, but not until several thank yous were gratefully spoken.

On the way home, Bertha announced, “This Summer, we’re gettin’ a 4-wheel drive!”

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Now, I will reveal the identities of these young ladies. The eldest is my older sister, Breezy. And the youngest, well, we’ll just say her name is vintagegirl.

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When I had shut the door and Momma took off driving, I accidentally shut my seatbelt in the door. Sometimes the belt doesn’t get sucked back into the slot, it just hangs there. The funny thing is, the “Smiths” followed us part of the way home in their truck (they were on their way to their church). I  wonder if they saw my seat-belt hanging out the bottom of the door, they were smiling pretty big when they went past us.

Categories: Family