6:45 am
Dear Diary,
Today was a beautiful day - to start with, at least. I had a day off from work and my wife had taken my son out for the local carnival, so I took a drive to Long Beach and spent some well-needed time by myself. Seagulls and albatross cackled as they swooped overhead. The air was fresh, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The sun was out as if it was calling me bright and early. I had the radio on, which was blaring out 80s hits. I wanted to get out to the comfortable, calming beach all day and feel the sand between my toes. I smiled at the thought of listening to the soothing sound of the waves as they brushed lightly up against the sand. I imagined myself soaking up the sunshine bright above me. Most days back in Mississippi, there was a variety of weather. If it was a stormy or chaotic day, trees shifted from their roots and the wind would howl down at you, angry from above. Or if the day was nice, the sun would shine, full of joy when flowers blossomed into life.
However, the weather changed drastically as I drove on and so did my journey. The sky was grey and stormy, angry - the rain began to pour, visibility was getting worse, but I just wanted to find a spot to turn around. Soon, it was becoming too dangerous, and I had to pull over, and I thought about all my ruined plans for the day. The sun I had longed to lounge under became fully engulfed in the dull and dark clouds. I could see nothing. My wiper blades were furiously swishing back and forth as they fought a raging and arduous battle with the rain. I heard the purr of my little car's engine turn to a growl as it struggled with the slippery road as if it had a long-held grudge against it. I only wished that the car would carry on, but I knew it would not obey me. My engine stuttered.
The weather got even worse. The rain turned into thunder and lightning. I started twirling my hair; what if a thunderbolt struck me? The loud booming and rumble of the thunder made me instinctively afraid. I was running low on gas, I desperately needed it! My car would last only a couple more minutes. The fuel gauge's arrow was nearing its inevitable 90-degree death as the engine gasped for air. I panicked and took a wrong turning, continuing down the road with nowhere to turn around. I checked my rearview mirror, hoping to find somewhere to make a quick turnaround, nowhere.
At that point, my car came to a thundering halt and broke down. My mind became a flood of fearful thoughts. I had never been in a situation like this before. I didn't know what to do! I reached for my phone set in a cupholder in the center console. My hands were shaking, and I was fumbling with my phone as I almost dropped it. I missed my wife and my son terribly, and I regretted not being able to say goodbye to them before I left. In the spur of the moment, I forced myself to think straight as I hurriedly tried calling the emergency services, but my phone had no service and was low on battery. I had decided not to bring a phone charger with me since I imagined it would be a quick trip. My phone died.
The navigation system, mounted on the dashboard, showed no sign of hope. The system had no signal; the small, red arrow was spinning round and round, trying to recalculate for an eternity. I tried the radio, but I only heard the crackling of useless static, which was strange. I could swear it was working earlier? Maybe the antenna wasn't picking up a satellite signal? The vehicle did not need to have an engine to use the stereo. I sat in my car for a long while, continuing to write my diary entry from this morning, wondering what to do before concluding that I would try to get some rest. I couldn't dare try to get out of the car, there was a storm going on, I'd get drenched instantly. I checked my car's clock, but it had stopped working too. I was afraid of that. I never even got to know the time, I don't normally wear watches either so I didn't have one on me for this occasion if I was going to go swimming in the sea. I rested my head on the wheel to forget the dark, gloomy atmosphere outside the window. I drifted off, dreaming about what might lie ahead or me tomorrow.
