A Ruffled Start

Last night’s Council meeting ended at 11:30. Of course the second the gavel dropped, everyone scattered, and so by the time I turned off the lights, shut off the coffee pot, put away the snacks and locked up, it was midnight when I got home. It was 2:00 am by the time I turned off the lights. I listened to Gracie aggressively chew at her rawhide for what seemed like a full half hour. Her paws hit my leg and I said, “No…Gracie’s bed.”

I drifted off to sleep, only to wake briefly to feel her 40 lbs. laying across my belly. I was too tired to care. I heard the trash trucks and saw the first light of dawn. Shortly after, the alarm sounded, and I hit snooze. When I couldn’t stall any longer, I got up and put on some clothes and took Gracie out.

As I walked toward the line, a man was standing in the parking area of the house on the bay side of the vacant lot. “Hello” he said, and I replied in kind. “ I can’t seem to get my car started, and I have to get to work” he said. My mind grumbled as I put Gracie on the line. I had never seen this man before, and what did he expect me to do, I wondered. “Do you happen to have jumper cables?” he asked. I looked at my (new) Honda. “I know I don’t; I have a new car..” I replied. “My daughter, might…” I answered, looking at the Civic. “How are you going to jump your car, even if you had cables?” I asked, noting that he was parked head-on toward the building. “I just need cables and a car,” he replied. “No stinkin’ way I’m jumping his vehicle with my new car” I thought.

“Lemme see if my daughter has cables…” I said and tried the door handle on the Civic. “Nope. Her car’s locked, and she’s not home. I know I don’t have any…” I walked to the laundry storage and looked around. “I used to have a pair in here, but not anymore….” I called out. “Sorry…. You could call AFA towing.” “AFA?” he asked. “Yeah. AFA – it’s the Texaco station just over the bridge. They can send a truck out that’ll jump ya’…they’ll charge you like fifty bucks, but they can get you jump started.” Then this (moron) says, “I have AAA. I guess I could call them…” WTF!?... I picked up my recycle bins and went inside. WTF.

As I washed my face and hands and brushed my teeth, I heard Gracie barking. I went outside and brought her back in, noticing neighbor-moron on his cell phone in his driveway. I wasn’t back inside two minutes when a knock came on the door. WTF. I quickly glanced out the security peep hole on the door, but opened the door just as quickly. A woman exhaled a huge cloud of cigarette smoke right in my face, saying, “Oh, I’m sorry. I was looking for Pam….” and immediately Gracie was on the porch and sniffing out this small white dog attached to the walking cigarette, who continued to say, “…does she live next door..?” I grabbed Gracie by her collar and turned and went back inside. WTF.

And I hadn’t even gotten in to the office yet.

It’s gotta get better.