She was quiet all through dinner.

 

I don’t really know where it came from.  I found it in the second drawer down in the toolbox out in the garage, but I sure don’t remember putting it there.  Right now I don’t even remember why I needed a piece of string, but for whatever reason, I did.  This looked like a simple ball of white string.  It certainly didn’t appear strong or worthy of any important task, but I snatched it up and pulled out a short length and then tried to cut it with the scissors.

When the scissors failed to cut through it, I pulled out my pocketknife.  That had never failed me in all the years I’ve owned it.  But again, nothing.  The string wouldn’t cut.  I couldn’t believe it.  This was some impressive string.  To look at it, you’d expect it to be wrapped around some dainty pastry box, nothing more serious than guarding a few doughnuts.

I bit down on it and then tried to muscle it apart.  That didn’t work at all.  Now I was on a mission.  How was I going to take a single piece from this ball of string?  I laid it across my vice and then struck it hard with a hammer against the steel edge of the vice.  Not so much as a dent.  I carried it into the house and held it over a lit candle.  I had a glass of water ready in case the thing caught fire.  The flame had no effect.  This was truly miracle string, so just where had it come from? 

I didn’t appreciate looking like a chump.  I backed my car out into the driveway, then I tied one end of the string to the rear bumper and the other end to the Elm tree in the yard.  This little sucker was going to snap, or else.

I got in and started the car.  Without touching the gas, I slipped it into drive and just the car roll forward.  I thought for sure I would feel it when the string broke.

The car stopped rolling.  I couldn’t believe it.  I gave it a little gas.  In the rearview mirror I could see the Elm tree bend towards me.  “No way!”  I gave it more gas.  The Elm bent further.  How was this possible?  It’s string, for Pete’s sake.

That night, when my wife returned from her sisters,  She asked me to explain why our Elm tree lay uprooted in the front yard and why the rear bumper of my car was laying next to it.

I told her I wasn't ready to talk about it yet.