Reverse

My brother picked me up from Logan Airport in my parents' Nissan Pathfinder. While we were in the passing lane on 93, the car seemed to exhale and the sports announcer on WEEI went silent.

Before I uttered a word, my brother shifted the car into Neutral and re-started the car.

I was horrified. "What just happened?!"

He started laughing so hard that his eyes sparkled with tears. "Welcome, home."

Ten minutes later we are approaching my parents' driveway on Elm Street (a busy throughway in our town). We are about ten houses away when Tommy pulls into the lane of oncoming traffic and puts the hazards on.

"What the hell is happening right now?"

He laughs again, this time telling me not to worry about it and shifts his posture in the driver's seat to crane his neck in all directions - taking precautions to make this illegal move somewhat "safe". We are going slightly uphill and I see a car coming towards us. Tommy takes his foot off the gas pedal as we pass the driveway, throws the car into neutral and we sit there - his hands loose on the steering wheel, mine gripping the rubbery door handle and dashboard.

"TOMMY!"

"Relax. We're all set. I've done it a million times."

And just as I think we're going to have a head-on collision with the oncoming car, we start drifting backwards. In increments Tommy turns the wheel to the right and we make our way ass-first into our parents' driveway.

 My brother looks over at me and winks, "there is no Reverse." 

"What is their issue with fixing cars?"

"One car at a time, Erin. One car at a time."