The Winged Eyeliner Wasn’t Worth It

Picture it, Albany 2009. Freshly graduated from Albany High and my 18-year-old self felt on top of the world. I had just left home after showering to get ready for dinner with my parents. As was typical for me, I was running late so I was making a strong attempt at putting winged eyeliner on in the car on my way. The music was blaring, It was my new favorite Beyonce anthem “Single Ladies” so naturally, I was scream singing at the top of my lungs. My hands were busy applying a perfect wing so I was driving with my knees (a healthy blend of sorcery and stupidity). When the car in front of me stopped fast for a kid who sprinted across the road to grab a basket ball, everything that followed happened so fast it’s almost a blur. I dropped my eyeliner, grabbed the wheel, slammed on the brakes and swerved the car to the right….right into a shrub.

The front of my car was all dented and a bit crunched, but other than a quick glance I didn’t really look at the car. Fortunately, I didn’t hit the other car, the other car didn’t hit the kid and everyone was totally fine…except that shrub. RIP Shrub. I went up to the door of the person who’s lawn I just accosted to apologize for the shrub and offered to pay for the damage as it was 100% my fault that I hit the darn thing. I then proceeded to drive my car the remaining 40 minutes to the restaurant for dinner with my parents.

After dinner, my parents saw my car and I, unfortunately, had to tell them what happened. My dad went over to the car to actually look at the thing and noted that part of the underside of my car had gotten loose when I hit the shrub and was dragging on the road the 40 minutes to the restaurant. He then tells me that I probably should have called to get my car towed, but because I was young and foolish, I was more concerned about getting to dinner on time. This little accident cost me about 4 grand. It would have only been 2 grand if I didn’t drive the darn thing to the restaurant. 2 grand is still a HUGE chunk of change, but it’s significantly cheaper than the 4 grand I had to come up with. Which, by the way, I just finished paying my parents back for.

Now, already there are several bits that need commenting on. As you can tell, when I was a teen, I was not exactly a cautious or even safe driver. I made SO MANY unsafe choices and very likely should have died at least 10 times. At least. Since then I have learned from my mistakes and I like to think I am a safe driver these days, but it was rough for a bit there.

What have we learned, thing 1: a perfectly crisp winged line can not and should not be accomplished in the car. Leave the makeup for home. Thing 2: driving with your knees is LITERALLY NEVER a good idea. Keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. And lastly, if you get into an accident, it’s better safe than sorry and have your car towed than end up with double the damage and cost you would have had if you just towed your car.

Be safe out there, friends. Think before you drive. If you were in an accident and need a trustworthy place to get your car checked out, stop by Destination Nissan and we will get you back on the road!