Friday, February 20, 2009

Truck-Stop Mama

I had to leave the Gulf Coast of Florida at 2:30 pm so I could arrive on the Space Coast early and wouldn't have to drive in the dark. I was doing quite well until ½ way across the state when I took a rest stop.

I put as much gas as I could in the car ($1.95 gal. wow!) and popped inside to the restroom and tp get a cup of coffee. When I paid for the coffee I realized I had done the unimaginable... locked the keys (cellphone, jacket, purse, laptop etc.) inside the car! When I called our auto insurance representative, I was assured that a locksmith would be there within 45 mins to an hour.

So I sat faithfully by the payphone in the trucker's waiting room (it was a huge truck stop) not knowing incoming calls were blocked!

Having worked for a trucking company, I was comforted by the faces of the hardworking men who used the room to check for available loads on the overhead monitor or walked by on their way to the shower room. Chatting with one man and his 2 sons kept my mind occupied throughout much of the long wait. The boys were fresh looking with healthy happy faces and their Dad welcomed their input and earned their respect. When they found out why I was hanging around for such a long time, the father advised me that the pay phone I was expecting to ring did not allow incoming phone calls, handed me his cell phone and found out a number where I could be reached at the front counter.

I first called at 4:30 pm and it was nearly THREE HOURS before the "locksmith" arrived in his tow-truck armed with an airbladder to force the window out and a wire to poke inside and fish up the door handle. By then it was totally dark. I'd had USAA call my husband and let him know what's up and the phone # that didn't take inbound calls. But he was worried about my driving after dark since having no vision in my left eye leaves me at a disadvantage with perspectives and depth perception.

The rest of the trip was a harrowing 2 hours with me unsure of what traffic to my left was doing. But, I made it home in one piece without causing any damage that I know of. I might have scared someone witless with my shaky lane changes, but I will never know for sure.

Still, it was an adventure worth remembering.

1 comment:

Danna Crawford said...

Oh dang darn it all! Thank goodness that trucker told you the news, you could STILL be there,, lol
What an event! geesh