FourBux

What do you mean you forgot me?

So today I started my new car pool program. The plan was to meet at this person’s home at 6:00 AM, and ride in together, taking advantage of the carpool lane and generally avoiding all the normal traffic pitfalls. Only having to gas up the car once during the week will save some cash, too.

I’ve said on more than one occasion that I’m not a morning person. Really, really, the opposite, actually. Last night, in an effort to not make my new carpool mate late for work, I went to bed early, forgoing my typical late night cup of coffee for fear of oversleeping this morning. I went to be before 11, and true to form, my sleep reservoir was full at 4:00 AM, so I got up, spent some time in the home office, had a pot of coffee, and left on time.

We’d had a ton of rain yesterday and last night, so the roads were slick and flooded. Phoenix isn’t known for the great way it handles the occasional deluge when it comes to the city streets. When I found her road, there was some sort of flooded wash that I had to cross. Those of you who’ve been on here for a while know my car is not made for crossing washes…in fact the bottom of the car sits about four inches off the ground. Illuminated by my headlights in the pre-dawn darkness I thought that it probably looked more dangerous than it really was, I decided to chance it. The idiot’s last words, right?

I’m pretty sure my fog lights were under water at one point, because the road ahead got earily dark. I figured I’d end up the news, with the headline “BMW found upside down in flooded creek” plastered across the photo, but fortunately I made it through. About halfway across I’d already decided that she was definitely driving today, regardless of what kind of car she had.

After about twenty feet the road sloped up again, and I’d made it safely to the other side. Some hot parts of the car had made contact with the rushing water, because now I was driving through a thick cloud of steam when I pulled into her driveway. I sat there for a few minutes with the car running in an effort to dry out the undercarriage and brakes, steaming up the inside of the car to the point that I had to get out for some fresh air.

Since the plan was that she was going to meet me outside at six, I just waited. I thought there was no point in ringing the doorbell and waking up the other saps who didn’t have to be at work by sunup. However, by 6:10, I hadn’t seen any lights on or movement inside. Digging out her phone number, I call and she answers at about the seventh ring.

“Hello…? Oh no…I forgot you.”

“Uh, hello? You forgot to call me? Why? Are you sick?”

“I was in the office until midnight last night…mumble mumble emergency…mumble…I’m still asleep.”

“Oh. Okay. We can try tomorrow.”

“Mumble…mumble…Tuesday…mumble” Click.

I’m not going to begrudge her need for sleep. I can even deal with the fact that she forgot to call me. I mean, if she had called at midnight last night she would have woken me up, too. Although the sending of an email would have been silent, no big deal.

The thing that really got me was that now I have to try to get back across that wash. I drove down her road the other direction, and sure enough, it dead ends. One way in, one way out. And that’s through the torrent. Excellent.

Upon approach from the other side, I can see that the water is really moving much faster than I thought it was before, or the flow has increased in the last 15 minutes. Either way I have to go through it or wait it out. I really have no desire to wait here all morning while burning up my vacation time, so once more I inch into the water, trying to pick a high line through the current.

This time I’m sure my fogs went under, because they lit up the water much like pool lamps illuminate at night. Freaky. Steam fills the inside of the car, making visibility through the windshield about zero. Just about the time I expect water to come spraying in under the doors, I feel the car slide a little to the left. Perfect. Trying to go slow so I don’t flood the engine is only going to get me pushed away, so I drop it into second gear and punch it. The wheels catch on the rocks and debris in the wash and I spin out, but luckily there’s enough traction to get me across.

Once on the other side, I have to lower the windows to try to air out the cabin but since it’s started raining again, it does little good. By the time I get to the office I look like I’ve been in a sauna.

I plop down at my desk and find out I have a meeting first thing across the street. As if there was any doubt I check my calendar.

Sure enough, it’s Monday. And Mondays suck.