For a story I'm writing I've been at a standstill for a long time over a scene I had planned and then realized it just wasn't feasible. I need a reason why a woman might choose to destroy her own clothes when the alternative is worse.
The original idea I had was that she's driving through mountainous terrain and her car's engine overheats. Having nothing handy to cool the engine, she would remove her clothes to soak them in a nearby stream in order to get the water to the engine. The problem of course is that would be very dangerous, with a high chance of her being scalded and possibly irreparably damaging the engine block.
So I'm looking for something along that line but with less risk of physical harm; but it needs to be important enough that she's willing to lose her clothes in the process.
Any ideas given must be given freely with no expectation of compensation. Thank you.
Sir Render
i_am_sirrender@yahoo.com