Ever have one of those days? You know the kind. The ones that go on and on and on, leaving you afraid to ask what might be next. That was my day.
It began simple enough. Even had a plan. Get up, knock out some work, run the mountain, climb in the car, drive five and a half hours, meet up with daughters and granddaughter and then go to bed. Simple, right? Oh, but if only things had gone according to plan.
Well, the whole part leading up to driving five and a half hours went swimmingly. In fact, my husband youngest son and I even managed to head out ahead of schedule. Not by a lot—only a few minutes, but hey, early is early, and I like to focus on the positive.
Of course, that trait got put to the test, later…much later.
Our drive as well as our one stop along the way to gas up, eat, relieve ourselves and get back on the road went as smooth as could be. The sun dipped low in the sky and then set, casting us in darkness. And still we drove on, enjoying our time together.
Then it hit. The I’m-sleepy-and-bored-having-to-drive–through-the-desert feeling. But my husband and I are resourceful and travel with technological devices that make life oh, so much easier. So while I drove, he clicked on a couple of phone aps to find the nearest Starbucks, no easy task, seeing as we were in the middle of the desert with nothing but desolation surrounding us. Added to that dilemma, was the fact that it was now 9 PM when many Starbucks close, effectively sealing us coffee drinkers off from our supply. Personally, I think there should be a twenty-four-hour vending machine that serves Starbucks to order, but I digress.
In no time, we found a location, a mere twenty miles ahead of us. Thrilled, we headed on, keeping our eyes peeled for the off ramp we needed. The closer we got, however, the more freeway construction we saw, and…much to our dismay, the off ramp we needed, was sealed off with K-rails.
Knowing there was no chance of finding another Starbucks until we hit near Phoenix, I dug in and exited the freeway at the next off ramp, several miles down the road, figuring I’d find my way back to my destination. Turning this way and that, I followed the application’s directions, which my husband read off.
Just as we were nearing where the Starbucks should be, my husband got a text from one of our daughters, informing us that our other daughter’s car, they had been together, had just been towed. And, with it, went the base to the infant car seat, the diaper bag, and all our granddaughter’s bottles of milk. Counting to ten and wondering how much that would set us back, I tried to maintain positive thinking and continued heading towards the Starbucks more determined than ever to get a coffee.
But, as luck would have it, the ap was wrong and led us on a wild goose chase. Frustration set in, yet I maintained that I would find the Starbucks. Ignoring my husband’s instructions, I drove in the direction I thought I should go and quickly found my coffee heaven.
Foolishly, I thought things would get better at that point. But when I entered the store, there was a couple in front of me, and I swear the guy was stoned, completely unable to make a decision, or recognize that others were waiting in line behind him. And he seemed incapable of placing the correct order once he’d had the barista recite the entire menu and how each drink was made.
Again, counting to ten, well, perhaps a bit higher, I bit my tongue and waited my turn. But when the man finished placing his drink order and had paid, he then caught sight, apparently for the first time. Of the food display case he’d been standing in front of. Looking at his girlfriend, he questioned what she might want, the whole while refusing to step aside so I could place my order. Just about then, the stoner began asking the barista what each and every pastry item was and which ones were better than others, moister, etc.
It was then that I began having bad thoughts about the man. No longer concerned that he might need to feed his stoner munchies, I was about to tell him to step aside to make his decision when his girlfriend suggested that very thing to him. Blessedly, he did. I went to place my order, but he wasn’t quite done yet, apparently still unaware that I was there. So…looking past me, he continued his conversation with the barista, who had turned away from him to take my order, and began shouting at her, still wondering which pastries might be the best.
The barista put him on hold, took my order and then went back to help complete the man’s cravings. I, meanwhile, got my drink and went to leave. Noticing there was a young couple about to enter, I held opened the door for them. The girl paused, looked my up and own, sniffed and then entered, not saying a word, followed by her boyfriend. Instead of getting upset, I held the door for them, took a calming sip of my coffee and then headed to my car, grateful to be able to continue on our way, thought having no idea how to get back on the freeway, seeing as the on ramps were also unavailable.
During all of this, our resourceful daughters had managed to borrow a friend’s car to go and get the impounded car. All went well with that, until…. Arriving back at my daughter’s apartment, they realized that there wasn’t a single visitor parking space left in which to park either vehicle. That’s when they called us, wondering what to do, seeing as it was an hour past when our granddaughter needed to eat and yet they had no place to leave the cars.
We were just about to arrive at our hotel, so I told them to bring both cars there where they could be left overnight. That way, they could come up to our room, feed the baby, and we’d all worry over what to do with the cars in the morning.
So, that’s what they did. Our granddaughter got fed, was able to spend some quality time with all of us, the cars are safe from being towed tonight, and it’s now 12:30 Saturday morning. Frankly, I’m exhausted, but our friends are on their way over so we can figure our breakfast plans for tomorrow.
And the day goes on and on and on.
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