Sirens Call

The air conditioner went out on the old Volvo. A $1,000 repair that seems to be more than the car is worth. I had forgotten what it is like to drive on a hot, southern day with the windows down, the sound of the wind and the highway and the warm air bathing your eyes, drying them. The violent head shaking to stay awake, a light dusting of salt in your hair, on your skin. Hard squinting, singing for a minute until that gets ludicrous. The hypnotic view, the hypnotic hum, the call of the southern highway sirens--sleep, sleep.