Uh oh, I briefly thought, as I watched my wheel bounce down the highway, away from me. I think I might need that.
My car lurched underneath me, the front-right corner supported by nothing. It fell onto the road, even as I slammed the brakes, sending a shower of sparks up into the air as the bare metal dragged along the asphalt.
How? I thought to myself. Wheels can’t just fall off like that? Is this some kind of–
Oh. A dream. This dream.
Again.
I woke up, already upright in bed, drenched in sweat. My girlfriend stirred next to me, frowning.
‘If you had that stupid wheel dream again…’ she grumbled.
‘Maybe I need to go to some sort of wheel repair specialist. Adelaide has to have one of those right?’
She groaned and rolled over, clutching a pillow. ‘It’s just a dream! Stop obsessing over it!’
‘A little wheel alignment wouldn’t hurt,’ I murmured, nervously chewing my nails. ‘A bit of wheel balancing, here and there.’
‘You have work tomorrow,’ my girlfriend said, muffled by the pillow she was pressing her face into. ‘Go to sleep.’
‘But I have to drive to work,’ I said, biting at a stubborn piece of thumb-nail. ‘What if–’
‘You’ve been to every car repair shop in a 100-kilometre radius,’ she said, sitting up and taking my hand. ‘There is nothing wrong with your car.’
I nodded slowly, and she smiled reassuringly at me.
‘You’re right,’ I said. ‘I’m being silly.’
We lay back down together, her arm around me. I let out a deep sigh.
‘Maybe I should just go out and check the lug nuts–’
She interrupted me with the flapping of the doona as she got up, pillow in hand.
‘Where are you going?’ I asked.
‘The couch!’ she glared at me. ‘I have work tomorrow. And just once, I’d like an uninterrupted few hours where I don’t have to hear about your stupid car’s stupid wheels stupidly falling off. Goodnight!’
I got up to follow her, pausing in the bedroom doorway. My gaze flicked to the front door, then down to the couch.
I should just check those lug nuts.