Huffington Magazine Issue 6 | Page 32

BONNIE BRODNICK Voices HUFFINGTON 07.22.12 I Come With Baggage T HE OTHER DAY I got into my car and threw my pocketbook onto the empty passenger seat. The “Fasten Your Seatbelt” alarm sounded and I was momentarily scared out of my wits. Was I living one of those YouTube clips that warn you to always look in the backseat before pulling away? I was either a daydreamer or someone with acute intuition (and paranoia) who sensed that there might be someone crouching in there. Thinking fast, I grabbed the plastic bag of quarters we keep in the door compartment and stuffed it under my seat. I was being cautious because ... well, you never know. ILLUSTRATION BY HANNA MELIN Bonni Brodnick is the author of Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk and is a columnist for the Bedford/ Pound Ridge Record-Review