Under a Spell by Jacqueline Clemens

Under a Spell

by Jacqueline Clemens

The year is 2016. The day, a beautiful sunny, blue sky type of day in Southern California (every day in Southern California is beautiful). My husband, Robert, and I are driving downtown in my little silver Mazda Miata convertible - top down, naturally. No destination in mind, just enjoying the sunshine and the cool April weather. We’re not really talking to each other, just listening to hits from the ‘70s on the radio. We love during our precious little time away from work to get out and take what we call a “road trip” on weekends.

Today’s road trip started out like every other road trip, until suddenly, out of my peripheral vision, I spotted the most beautiful, sleek and sexy sight I have ever seen in my entire lifetime! I yelled over the traffic noise for Robert to look, but it disappeared so fast he barely caught a glimpse. The vision disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. I was unable to get the vision out of my head as we continued on our travels. I tried my best to describe what I saw to my husband, but there were no words to truly relate the perfect perfection I saw. And the sensations bubbling up inside of me! A thrill never experienced before at this intensity. I did remember a time that I came close to this same sensation some 10 years earlier. Sadly, the cause of that thrill was now all but forgotten.

As soon as we returned home from the day’s road trip, I ran to the garbage can next to my desk and retrieved a picture of the exact cause of my excitement. I’d received it the day prior, but carelessly tossed it aside as if it was impossible to include this in my life. I showed the picture to Robert. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t toss the picture back into the trash. I kept telling myself there was no way this beautiful, sleek, sexy vision could become a part of my life. But no matter how hard I tried to put the possibility out of my mind, I couldn’t. I was under a spell.

Soon another week of work was done and we were back in my little silver Miata. This

time instead of listening to music, Robert brought up the picture I kept looking at all week. “You know, what you have now is just a tweener. It’s worked for awhile, but now there is another. Another that has already found a place in your heart.” he said.

“But I have obligations to fulfill. It isn’t the right time. I just need to get over this. I’ll throw the picture away when we get home.” My reply didn’t convince him that I could ever forget. That night, he spent hours on the computer, not telling me what he was doing. I watched television, trying to get out from under the spell where I felt trapped.

The next day was Sunday, the day usually spent getting household chores done before starting another week of work. Instead of starting the laundry, Robert asked me if I wanted to go for a little ride. I thought to myself, “How nice, maybe we are going out for breakfast.” We got on the freeway and drove past all the restaurants in our little hometown and continued to drive. We drove for a little over an hour, finally leaving the freeway in Orange, California. A few moments later we pulled into the Mazda car dealership. I couldn’t believe my eyes, when I saw my vision once again right in front of me!

There it was, a 2016 beautiful, red, sleek and sexy Mazda Miata! “It’s yours, if you want it,” my husband said. I looked at him with happy tears in my eyes, “Really?”

“Your 2013 Miata was a tweener car. A temporary replacement for the 2006. It was a car for you to drive until you found another car you could love. This one is it. You are completely under its spell.”

A few hours later, we headed home. Top down, music playing. Yes, this car definitely cast a spell on me the first time I laid eyes on it.

The year is 2021. “A lot of things have come to pass in the last 5 years. But one thing has remained constant over the years. This beautiful, red, sleek, sexy Miata still has me under its spell,” I thought to myself as we sped off on another road trip …