The Tongue in Cheek Gothic Style Escapades of a TWA Flight Attendant

Part A: "The Lighthouse"

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If there is one thing I like to do is to drive. I'm not talking about boring interstate driving. I'm talking about driving when the knuckles on the steering wheel are white. The time period is early '70's.

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On a cliff at the North side of an island in the state of Hawaii, stands a lighthouse. My two fellow flight attendant friends and I contemplated a fragile trail that lay before us. Years of erosion had not only gutted the surface of the dirt road, it was listing toward the menacing waves of the Pacific Ocean. The treacherous track braced itself on the rocky hillside, hoping that by hanging on to its edge, it could prevent its very existence from slipping into the reaching arms of the violent pool below. Yeah, it seemed like a fun road. I, the elected driver, pressed forward, not quite convinced the road's width would sustain us, but what the heck...

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Around a bend and then another, we felt the beckoning call of the lighthouse. We teetered, tottered struggling to answer. Another corner executed, we burst upon a automobile hanging precariously on the side of the cliff. The left front wheel of the vehicle was spinning midair readying itself to dive into creamy white foam while hungry peaks stretched to grant its wish. A six pack of beer in the car confirmed that a bumbling buffoon and his comrads were aching to swim.

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Turning our auto around was an advent! We inched ourselves carefully toward the opposite direction. Although the hillock staunchly stood its ground, the mischievous mist teased us with spray. White knuckles withstanding , we prevailed, and the three of us cheered.

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Later in time, I would try to convince my husband, who was on a business trip in Honolulu, to invade the elusive lighthouse on the north side of the island. Albeit, I received a lecture on his being responsible for the rental car, bla, bla, bla. One of us has to be practical; so let it be Ruedi. If there is a thrill driving on the interstate, let him do that too.

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Over these years, my thoughts have intermittently returned to a lighthouse and a beat up road in Oahu. I wonder...are they still there? The old lighthouse...is whispering!

;-)