Backseat shenanigans

Renee Chrystefor

25 Jan 2026

Micro-memoir

My brother once said “Keep your hands to yourself.” ...well, sort of.

The station wagon jargon, irritating the driver, my poor mother, was the countless screaming: "Stop touching me!" I remember the screeching brakes when she was finally fed up and mother's threats to leave us at the side of the road just so she could have some peace.

Funny, she was a tough cookie, I'm surprised she never followed through. Maybe we were too far away from home. Maybe the guilt would leave her wondering if she was a terrible mother. Maybe it was fear of the New Jersey serial killer 'Son of Sam'. I'll never know. After the threats, we'd quiet down and she'd drive on as we silently continued to poke each other.

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A Grandmother's Love

To Give Blood

Breaking Free