Mama Malkavian's House

(E) Alison called an Uber to pick her up for work. It is peak time for Ubers on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Alison’s closing shift starts at 1:00 p.m. Alison already feels like she is running late one hour before her shift; that’s just her personality. The popularity in Uber caused the price to spike to $20 for a one-way trip to work. That is a lot of money for Alison. She books the ride anyway with little choice left. Fifteen minutes later, with forty-five minutes to her shift, a red SUV rolls up matching the description and license number. Sherri is her driver. Sherri looks like the woman in Uber’s profile. Sherri and Alison have a pleasant conversation about how nice the weather is in San Diego compared to Memphis (they don’t even salt their roads!). Fifteen minutes later, Alison arrives at the mall. She is not at her store yet. Alison has thirty minutes to get a coffee, to her store, and sip on her coffee while it is still hot. Alison is peculiar and likes to arrive to her place of wor...

(D) Alison works at her local mall on the other side of town. Usually, her husband drives her to work, but when he is working Alison is on her own. Alison has a direct bus route to the mall near her home, and she can walk to the bus stop easily. But taking the bus is challenging. Public transportation involves a lot of walking and waiting outside. This becomes exhausting, especially when Alison misses a bus or feels compelled to leave too early in order to not miss her bus. Being bound to public transportation limits Alison’s freedom. The bus routes are limited, and some don’t run on the weekend, causing Alison to spend more money than she would taking Uber to work on Saturdays. Traveling across town can take several hours. What does Alison do? Continue taking the bus to work. Scroll to paragraph (G) .

  (C) Alison takes and passes the written portion of the driving test. Now she has a learner’s permit. It is time for her to learn to drive. On a day off, Alison takes the wheel with her husband and now teacher in the passenger seat. They a parked in an empty parking lot to what once was a thriving mall. “You should be able to handle this much better than Susie,” said Lee. Susie the Subaru had been their SUV. Now they had a smaller sedan type car. “You just press the button to turn it on. You don’t even have to put the keys in the ignition.” Alison pressed the button and watched many lights turn on the dash and radio area. Lee showed Alison how to operate the windshield wipers, defroster, and blinker. Lee may have shown Alison other important details, but this story is written by a woman who does not know how to drive. So, please suspend disbelief and operate on the notion that Lee is a fine driving instructor and Alison learned many things. “Put the gear in drive. See, it is the ...

(B) Alison is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. As an effect of Asperger’s syndrome, Alison has trouble processing large amounts of sensory information in a short amount of time. Alison does not notice half of the things her husband, Lee, sees while he drives and she is the passenger. This is why Alison has little faith in her ability to make well informed decisions on the road. Alison’s lack of faith in her ability to drive safely is upsetting to her. She believes that because she has Asperger’s, she truly is disabled from driving a car. But, Alison has places to go; she is a full time student and a part time retail employee. It is Friday morning and Alison has to go to work. Lee is working and Alison has to get to the mall by herself. You have a decision to make: Alison takes the city bus to work. Link to post (D). Alison takes Uber to work. Link to post (E).

  (A) Alison looks up the Tennessee State driver manual online and studies for the next week. Alison now deems herself ready for the written test in order to earn her learner’s permit. Link to post (C).

  This is a choose-your-own-adventure story. What happens next is your choice . Alison is a twenty-six-year-old married woman, and she has a decision to make. Alison can depend on her family for transportation to work and school, or she can take a risk and learn how to drive. Alison has a recurring dream of driving in unsafe situations. In the dreaming, Alison does not know how to use a blinker; she reaches for the wheel and pedals while her bum sits in the passenger seat. Alison wakes up feeling like she has no choice but to never drive. You have a choice: Alison reads the driving manual. Link to blog post (A). Alison rationalizes that because she is disabled, she must never drive. Link to blog post (N) (A) Alison looks up the Tennessee State driver manual online and studies for the next week. Alison now deems herself ready for the written test in order to earn her learner’s permit. Link to blog post (C) Alison’s lack of faith in her ability to drive safely upsets her. She belie...