It was a dark and stormy night when Lucy was driving home from the beach.  The car headlights were ineffectual even though she had the brights on.  She couldn’t see the side of the road clear enough to dare pulling over.  She slowed the car to a crawl, turned down the radio, and steeled her nerves for what she hoped was the worst of the deluge.

            Her skin was tight and itchy from the last-day-at-the beach-caution-to-the-wind sunburn. The excess alcohol at breakfast exacerbated the situation. The beach trip had been delightful. Due to sundry financial emergencies, her three partners-in-crime had to cancel their plans to go.  In a fit of derring-do, Lucy decided to go alone.  Oh sure, it would be expensive bearing the whole cost of the condo, but she had always wanted to go on a solo trip to the beach.  She had a credit card she reserved for emergencies.  Could opportunities to accomplish a bucket list item be considered an emergency? She convinced herself that it could.