I was driving in my car yesterday afternoon. Well, actually it’s Adam’s car, which is way cooler than my van.
It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day. I had the sunroof open and all the windows down. I was alone in the car (or so I thought…foreshadow alert!) and was singing along to some great tunes.
All of a sudden, I heard a “rustling” sound coming from the backseat.
I glanced back, but didn’t see anything.
Then I heard the noise again.
I glanced back a second time & noticed a plastic bag on the backseat. So, I figured the noise must be the wind rustling the bag.
I had no sooner turned my head away, when suddenly a cicada came out of nowhere.
I started screaming! Please understand – I don’t know the first thing about cicadas. I thought they came out once every 17 years or something. But, apparently only a specific type of cicada does that. I had no idea if this creature was going to bite me or sting me. You think the stupid thing would have flown out the window, but no…it was after my head.
Have you seen a cicada close-up? Do you know how big they are or how wide their wing span is? DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S IT’S LIKE TO HAVE ONE BUZZING IN YOUR EAR?!?!?!?!
Well, here’s a little sample…
AHHHHH – it was horrible! Did I mention I was on the expressway when this happened? Yeah, not the best place to have a panic attack. By now the cicada had stopped flying around and was now on the floor near my feet. I suppose I could have stepped on it, but you know me & the whole “it’s a living thing” attitude I have (remember the spider story?).
Instead, I called a friend who instantly told me to pull over before I ended up in a ditch.
So, I pulled over, and with the help of my trusty umbrella, I shooed the cicada out of my car. I must have looked hilarious standing on the shoulder of the expressway, in 90° heat, waving around an umbrella…
Ironically, after work the day before, Ava & Dennis were looking for dead cicadas. She can hear them in the big tree in front of church & wanted to know what they looked like. They found a couple & she brought them home to show Adam. So, I either had a stowaway or one of those things came back to life.
This experience definitely takes the prize for scariest bug moment.
No contest.
Vegetable Soup 