1998 – The Accidental Highway Adventure

After getting a car loan from Toyota Finance, I proudly drove my new Camry around Edison. One weekend, while strolling through the mall, we bumped into Mani, an old colleague from Tata Consultancy Services. “Come for lunch at my place tomorrow!” he offered warmly.

His home was 20 miles away, right next to Highway I-287. That night, we spent an hour online printing directions – I planned every backroad carefully to avoid the intimidating highways.

The next morning, with my wife as navigator, we set off. As I nervously released the brake, the car rolled forward. Just as I was congratulating myself on avoiding highways, I accidentally turned onto an entrance ramp. Before I knew it, we were merging onto I-287 at 90 mph!

“Drive well!” my wife cheered, oblivious to my panic.

After 30 miles southbound, she asked: “Where are we going?”

“South… towards Delaware,” I admitted.

“North goes to New York!” she gasped, imagining the chaotic city streets.

Following her sudden expertise (and some frantic map-reading), we took the Metropark exit. Three hours after leaving, we celebrated our survival with her favorite bread omelet at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Sometimes life forces us onto unexpected paths – what matters is staying calm and trusting your co-pilot.