The Flaming Baby Doll

My mom was an adventurer when I was little.  She used to wake us up at 4 in the morning and head out on an adventure!  We drove everywhere...  California, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, Maryland, Florida, Texas, New York, Niagra Falls...It was always so much fun because my mom would see a sign or a billboard and stop at various places just because they looked fun.
My mom got this trait honestly because my grandma and my aunt were the same way.  They loved to travel at the drop of a hat.  On one trip to Texas, my mom, grandma and aunt were sitting around the kitchen table as they often did and they decided that they wanted to take us to New Orleans.  I was so excited!  I had never been there before and I couldn't wait.
When I was excited, I was often hard to manage, asking a million questions from the back seat.  Because of this, my mom and grandma had me sit on the hump in the middle of the front seat.  The windows were open and I got to listen to the ongoing conversation between my mom and her mom.  I was actually quite entertained.  I sat still with my baby doll in my arms, looking out the window and daydreamed about my imaginary friend, friend giant (that's another story).
My mom and grandma were smoking as they talked, waving their hands around as they always did.  My grandma was trying to make a point with her hand gestures and...   OH NO!!!!   I first noticed the situation when I smelled the strong, terrible smell of burning plastic!  My baby doll's hair had gotten too close to grandma's cigarette and it was ON FIRE!!!
"Help!" I screamed.  "Help my baby!!!"  As soon as my grandma saw my baby doll, she grabbed her and tossed her right out the window!  I crawled into the back seat and watched my burning baby until she became a little dot in the distance, crying the whole way.  I never understood how my grandma could throw my baby out the window, but now I smile wondering if I would do the exact same thing.  :)