Not One of My Finer Moments

Yesterday was a GLORIOUS day. The sun was out, the kids were playing, I had some flowers to arrange on my front deck. What could be better? What could be more zen then arranging flowers, in the sun on your front deck while your children play joyfully near by with their shrieks of joy filling your ears. Yes it was a darn near perfect day.....until.....

Sophia plays basketball and Bob is her coach. It's a great learning league and great fun. Sophia's game was at 1. I got a call from Bob at 1:30. My immediate thought was Sophia had been hurt. No. He tells me that his car has just been towed. He gives me the phone number of the place that towed it.

I am PISSED!!! These guys wait around until all the cars are parked and then the cruise the lot. There are signs but honestly I haven't read them. I know that the parking is for the NECC (NE Community Center) and that is where the basketball takes place. Apparently, and I have not seen this for myself, they say you have to have a sticker.

I call the place and some woman answers. I am REALLY MAD. She tells me to calm down. WTF? NO I AM NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN...You JUST TOWED MY FRICKIN' CAR. We yell back and forth and she hangs up on me. I call back and yell some more, "YOU DID NOT JUST HANG UP ON ME!" She says she did and she'll do it anytime she is speaking to someone who is so rude. Please, like there is ANYONE who is kind and sweet right after you have towed their car? She must get this all the time AND you took the job stupid. You know what you are going to get. She insinuates that she is only an answering service but when I ask what it's going to cost she gets on a radio to the tow truck driver. Now she is a lier too. I get out of her that it is going to be $216 and I can pick up the car in 20 min.

I pick up Bob and Sophia immediately following basketball. Sophia is confused because they came in daddy's car. I tell her that daddy's car got towed. Good for Bob for not telling her. I drop Sophia off at a buddy's house. The moment the door closes I go into a total rant again. Not at Bob but to Bob. He says, "Just keep your cool until we get the car back." I promise to try.

We arrive at the scum pit. I mean it. This place is in a scary area and it is gross. I walk in and say, "You have my car." I give her my driver's license. I can tell by her voice that this is "my friend" from the phone. I am trying to keep my cool but it is REALLY hard. I haven't been this mad in years. As a matter of fact I remember the last time and it was 27 years ago.

She says, "It will be $247" I say, "You told me on the phone that it would be $216" She says, "That was an estimate." I ask to see it. The "hook up" fee is $157. I say, "The sign posted behind you says the "hook up" fee is $110. She says, "That's an old sign." I loose it. I go ballistic, really, totally out of control. She is yelling just as loud and still can't understand why I am so mad. I stayed a good distance away from her for fear it could come to blows. That's all I need an assault charge. I used all my least favorite words....a lot. I was hoping she'd hit me. Then I'd have something on her. She didn't....we both calmed down.

Bob is standing behind me saying nothing. It's his way. Next he goes to the car to get the registration.

"My friend" and I are in the office alone. She apologizes. I apologize. Really, what the hell good was it going to do? I was so mad I could hardly write, I was shaking. I complete the transaction. Bob gets his car. We leave.

On the drive home I start to calm down. I TRY and see this from "my friend's" perspective. When I walked in she was reading a romance novel behind a messy desk. Obviously she needs to escape from the hell hole she is in. She is morbidly obese. That does not come with out pain from somewhere. She is missing at least half her teeth. And she works at a tow yard where I am pretty sure she gets yelled at a lot.

I have a beautiful life and I know it. A healthy beautiful family, a wonderful husband, comfortable home, amazing friends and so much more. For goodness sake, I was sitting on my deck in the sun arranging flowers with my joyous kids running around before this all went down. I feel a bit bad for taking out my anger on that woman. I go back and forth. She was dishing it out pretty well too. I am sure she has had lots of practice.

So that was certainly not one of my finer moments. I am really glad my kids didn't see me like that. It's not good for anyone to be that angry. After seeing that woman I am glad she didn't stroke out or have a heart attack. She probably hasn't been to the doctor either since I am fairly sure she has never been to a dentist. I am going to take this in for a while and maybe, just maybe I can send her a note. In the mean time I will pray for her and for me. Neither one of us had one of our finer moments.