I don’t usually freak out when I see a spider. After all, they are our garden friends. In the house or classroom, I usually get a piece of paper, scoop up the spider and release it outside.
As I was driving to work Wednesday morning, dark again where last week’s commute had been light, I saw a spider high on my windshield. Inside the car. Okay, I thought, I can do this, spiders are our garden friends. So, I kept one eye on the road and one eye on Charlotte.
She started to move closer. It was a little harder to keep an eye on both. I began my mantra, “Spiders are our garden friends. Spiders are our garden friends. Spiders are our garden friends. ” She kept crawling. Traffic started to slow. I had to pay more attention to driving. “Spiders are our garden friends. ” She was moving away from me to the other side of the windshield and crossed the halfway point as I passed the accident that had slowed traffic. As my speed picked up again, she started coming back my way “Spiders are our garden friends. Spiders are our garden friends. Spiders are our garden friends. ” I hoped the drivers involved in the accident hadn’t had a spider in their cars.
She crossed the hallway point back to me as I pulled off the highway near school. “Spiders are our garden friends. ” By the time I pulled in the school parking lot she was high in front of me again. I got out and looked for her. She had disappeared. Damn! I went to the passenger side to pick up my bag. She wasn’t there either. So, I locked up the car and went in to work.
When I came out at the end of the day to go home, I did a thorough inspection. No spider. I wasn’t exactly relieved.
booksandbassets 
I love your mantra and especially love your line about hoping the cars involved in the accident hadn’t had a spider in their cars. I’m impressed you were able to even drive with a spider in your car–I would have declared an emergency situation and pulled over. Hope that spider is enjoying the great outdoors and is out of your life now!
At least it wasn’t a snake. That would do me in. Maybe I shouldn’t, but when I see a spider in the house I pull a Garfield…only I don’t use a newspaper.
I enjoyed reading this. I admire your calm and ability to repeat your mantra all the way to work, even as the spider got closer. I’ll have to remember that the next time I find a spider in my car!
I suppose we should all be more worried about the spiders we can’t see than the ones we can!
This is funny. I am the type of person who has left my car in a drive-thru when a bee flew in. You are much braver than I usually am.
Well, I am in awe of you…I would have run for the hills!
This is a great slice of life. I felt like I was in the car with you. Maybe she slipped out a crack in the car…?