Try not to laugh challenge foreshortened by appearance of singular car in area driveway
- G Papa Tango
- Aug 4
- 3 min read

In the tranquil confines of Applewood Acres, where the most exciting event might be a particularly robust tomato harvest, a singular occurrence has shattered the mundane rhythm of suburban life. In a neighborhood where the sight of a solitary car in a driveway is as rare as a unicorn sighting, the appearance of one such vehicle has left residents both perplexed and oddly entertained.
Picture this: a quintessential suburban street, lined with neatly trimmed lawns and cookie-cutter houses, all adorned with the obligatory two-car garages. But amidst this sea of automotive conformity, one driveway stands out like a sore thumb, or rather, a lone car.
The car, a mundane sedan by all accounts, sits in solitary splendor, its presence magnified by the sheer absurdity of its singularity. One can almost hear the collective gasp of the neighborhood as residents peer out from behind their curtains, trying to make sense of this baffling spectacle.
Speculation runs wild in Applewood Acres. Has the owner forsaken the societal norm of dual-car ownership, opting instead for a minimalist approach to vehicular companionship? Or perhaps they're making a statement against the consumerist excesses of modern suburban living, boldly asserting their independence with a single automobile?
Regardless of the reason behind this vehicular anomaly, one thing is certain: the residents of Applewood Acres have found unexpected amusement in the most mundane of circumstances. What started as a simple stroll to fetch the morning paper has turned into a sidesplitting spectacle, with neighbors exchanging knowing glances and stifling laughter as they pass by the lone car in question.
In a neighborhood where excitement is measured by the height of one's hedge or the quality of one's lawn fertilizer, the appearance of a solitary car has become the talk of the town. It's a reminder that in the monotony of suburban life, sometimes all it takes is a lone vehicle to inject a much-needed dose of hilarity into the everyday routine.

So, as the residents of Applewood Acres continue to ponder the mysteries of the lone car in their midst, one thing is certain: laughter truly is the best medicine, even in the most unexpected of circumstances. And who knows? Perhaps tomorrow, the driveway next door will be graced by the sight of an equally baffling spectacle—a lawnmower standing alone in the grass.
FURTHERMOREOVERKILL
G Papa Tango, rather than a cogent, polished bit of writing, instead please produce something in the brainstorming way of freewriting on the question of why there is just one car in the driveway.
Just one car in the driveway. Why? Could be that the others are gone — work, errands, that kind of thing. But maybe there never were others. Maybe it’s a one-car household, downsized, post-retirement, or always minimal. Maybe the second car got sold — money trouble? Or someone moved out? A kid, a partner, a tenant? Divorce? Death?
Or maybe the second car is in the garage, and we just can’t see it. Or the garage is too cluttered — full of paint cans and boxes labeled “Xmas Lights” and “Old Photos – Do Not Toss.”
Maybe the car is gone but the person isn’t. Someone at home, carless — recovering from surgery, suspended license, agoraphobia, or waiting for a bus that never comes. Or maybe it’s the opposite: the car is there, but the person is gone — took the train, flew out, vanished. Maybe they left the car behind like a dog at a rest stop.
Could be that it’s a guest’s car. A one-night stand turned sleep-in. Or a relative visiting. Or the house-sitter’s — the family’s in Portugal or Niagara or somewhere warm, and this borrowed car just marks time like a placeholder.
Maybe it’s symbolic. A single car in the driveway like a lone shoe in the middle of the road — oddly quiet, a sign of something paused or missing. Maybe something’s about to happen. Or just finished happening. Like the driveway is recovering.
Maybe it's a conscious choice — environmentalism, frugality, smugness. One hybrid to rule them all. Maybe they're city people forced into suburbia, stubbornly resisting the pressure to drive two SUVs just to prove they belong.
Or maybe the car’s broken. Sitting there, unmoved for days, collecting sap and resentment. Maybe it was keyed. Maybe there's a note on the windshield. Maybe it's not even theirs.
Or maybe that one car is all that’s needed — everything else fits in it. Groceries, giggles, tears. Maybe it's a quiet life. Or a tight one. Or a carefully constructed fiction that only allows room for one vehicle, one version, one story.
Maybe that car knows something. Maybe it saw.

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