#gatorjuice

[yaboylilc]

Me and my nigga Mohawk!! #ForevaThugginGang #GatorJuice #SwampSoup

[jottzdott]

It's about to be full on!! #happyhour #taxi #gatorjuice #goodcompany #betterview #yummyallaround

[wanderlustheroes]

Gary the Gator, In Memoriam

All I wanted to do is drive. I move forward with every mile traveled, leaving a little bit more behind. A wrong turn and I found myself transporting the group through a dense woods with intermittent swamps. Eerie, a creeping fear began to course through me. I did not want to be here. But wait, how many miles had we driven? How many close calls had I survived? I know I’m not invincible, but worse things have happened. I ask the group to join me in a round of “I’ll make a man out of you” to ease the tension. Immediately, we burst into song until I saw a gator tourist area. I smiled and thought how odd it was for people to want to see gators. I once again remembered our surroundings and an ominous sinking feeling took hold.

"What if I see a gator in the road? What do I do?"

Without hesitation, Fern responded “Drive right through it!”

I laughed and asked her to Google it, I wouldn’t hit it. We continued down the road, Fern and Strick’s eyes peeled to the sides for a glimpse of yellow circles that reflected the headlights. I looked forward and blinked, 1 Is that a log? I see yellow

2 Gator, fast move. Swamps either side. Oncoming car.

3 slight scream. No options. Help. Keep straight, don’t move, your responsibilty to keep them safe. Close eyes and lock arms.

4 Boom, AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH 5 eyes open, gator head flying past my window, wildly spinning towards Strick’s arm. He’s going to get hurt. My fault.

6 near miss. You killed it. Beheaded the gator. What have you done?

Life is precious. All life, all are necessary parts of the wheel.

Guilt.

I could have killed them. We could have flipped, lost a tire, crashed. I didn’t have time to take any other course.

But I did kill. I killed the gator. I didn’t mean too, I didn’t mean to cause it pain. It’s not the monster, I am.

Uncontrollable tears streamed down my face, the laughter from the others died (almost as instantaneously as the gator) and consoling words and jokes aimed to help me. I was in shock. I had tensed up and curled into a ball with my arms straight not touching the gas or the brakes. I did what I could.

Another hour through the swamp lead to a town, I ran inside afraid I was going to puke. The gas station had gator heads on top of their soda machines, they could have a third if they found Gary (the gator).

I blink and see the head fly past me. Everything happens for a reason, right?

-Nova