Night At the Drive-In

Last night I partook in the long held American tradition of drive-in movie going. Around 7 o'clock, my group of friends piled into my friend's mother's Jeep and we were off to the movies. About half an hour later, we were parked in a big field in front of a large white wall, located a perfect distance from the snack bar. With our radio station set to the correct station and two humongous barrels of popcorn, we were ready for the movie to begin.

The movie itself was excellent; Ron Howard's newest adaptation of Dan Brown's novel Angels and Demons did not leave us wanting. Full of plot twists and incredible acting, my friends and I were lulled into the plot, forgetting the rest of the world as the screen melded into the night sky.

The credits broke our trance and we began to load up the car planning to leave before the next feature. We were just about to leave as my friend turned the key in the ignition and ...nothing. It appeared as though almost two and a half hours of radio listening had killed the battery in the car. Trying not to panic, we checked under the hood and everything looked okay. Then we tried to close the hood and it would not close. Faced with this dilemma, my friend called her parents as my brother and I hunted down a jumper cable and a willing battery. A half an hour later the car was running, but the hood still would not close completely. After much contemplating, we decided to drive home despite the fact that one side of the hood was not latched completely. By midnight we were home safely.

As frustrating and tense as this ordeal must have been, it turned out to be quite an adventure. This event I will keep with me for all prosperity for laughs and nostalgia. I realized last night as we were driving home that we handled the situation quite brilliantly. Stalled cars are adult problems, and we handled it without the immediate help from parents and without panicking.

Well, my dears, I believe we are actually growing up!