Last year our daugher had a furnished apartment while away at college. This year she did not so we had to rent a trailer to haul furniture on a four hour trip. All went well until it was time for the trip home. It was a day of good and bad news. Sometimes it got better. Sometimes it got worse.
Bad News: Flat tire, blazing sun, my hubby, me and the kid…stuck on the side of a four-lane blur of traffic.
Good News: Within a minute after the tire blew, an IMAP Highway worker pulled up and offered my husband a ride to go get a tire.
Better News: “The man said it’ll only take 30 minutes,” my husband said. “He said you all will be fine. Lock the doors. I’ll be right back.”
Bad
News: The “thirty minutes” was one way.
No one knew it was one way except the IMAP
man. It would be over an hour before they returned.
Worse
News: The kid and I did not know the thirty minutes was one way because my cell
phone battery died and my husband and I could not communicate. My husband said he tried to call and felt sick when he couldn't reach us.
Good
News: We were safe. My seven-year old said he would protect me and
showed
me all his orange plastic firearms.
Better
News: We had “real” protection that wasn’t orange or plastic.
Bad News: We became hot and hungry.
Good News: Dad left his keys so we turned on the air. We stretched a towelout to cover the front window. Finding a bag of chips and lukewarm bottled water was our treasure. (I always told my husband he could live off the stuff he kept inside his truck!)
Bad News: Boredom set in again.
Good News: I purchased a new box of crayons and paper earlier that day. We tested every color. Thank goodness, I bought a box of 48 crayons!
Bad News: After awhile we got bored again.
Worse
News: Numerous rounds of “Rock,
Paper, Scissors.”
Good
News: Found an “Odyssey” story CD from a Chick-fil-a kids’ meal. Listened to that
while we played with tiny army men.
Better News: The men finally returned and put the new tire on quickly.
Bad News: The new tire cost $80.00. Two days rental of the trailer was$46.00. Gas for the trip cost $130. We won’t even mention food, our hotel, and groceries for the daughter, etc., etc.
Good
News: Thankfully, we made it back safe…but you won’t be seeing us out
shopping or at the usual restaurants for awhile. Just drop by for a
visit and we’ll eat some pork-n-beans together.
Best News: It's not about the money or food, it's all about the people.
Best News: It's not about the money or food, it's all about the people.
