A dead battery meant being late for work this morning, and now, a flat tire in the parking lot at lunch, with an in-person client meeting in less than 30 minutes. Needless to say, the day wasn’t going well, and to make it worse, there wasn’t a spare either. Time to catch a ride share to try and make it on time or, run out of time waiting for a tow truck and wasting a lot of time at the nearest auto repair shop. So, only one real option.
Making it to the meeting with just minutes to spare, sheer panic set in when the realization hit the laptop had been left on the passenger seat of the car sitting in the parking lot with a flat tire. This was no good and the only way around it was to borrow another portable, dial into the network, and make the presentation on the fly without the notes written and revised, stored locally on the misplaced machine. A bit unconventional, and definitely unprofessional, but necessary for the moment.
Things could only get better.
Back at the office, the auto shop called. Of course, it wasn’t all good news. The tire had been replaced and a spare secured in its previously empty storage space but there was another problem – a failing alternator, hence the dead battery. Well over $1,000 later, the entire situation had been remedied. However, the day was far from over.
Right around 3 o’clock, Lady Luck was conspicuously absent again when an alarming email came from school. The subject line said it all, “Confidential: Behavior Notice.” The body of the message detailed an inappropriate exchange of insults and a very mischievous practical joke, resulting in five demerits and an after-school detention to be served promptly at dismissal.
If all that wasn’t enough, moments before the hour was up, an unnerving text popped up, ominously reading, “Call me, ASAP.” By every indication of a routine day, its urgency was something quite out of the ordinary, most likely an emergency. Whatever it was, it wasn’t something that could wait.
After putting clothes in the washer, when the cycle began, water started coming up in the kitchen sink. There was a clog somewhere, and nothing that an ordinary drain cleaner could clear.
Of course, being a Friday and now just past 4 pm, getting a plumber out before 5:00 would be nothing short of miraculous. So, either an after-hours charge or the notorious weekend visit – much more costly than mid-morning or afternoon on any given weekday. But, it couldn’t wait.
Being new in town, a local recommendation was sorely needed. After just one phone call to a suggested plumber given in numerous praiseworthy responses, a bit of good news – there was an opening between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Hastily reaching for the laptop bag and sunglasses, an instant message came across the workspace collab system – the client from the earlier meeting was asking for some big last-minute changes before the close of business. That meant rushing to rework a few things here and there, without the weekend to mull everything over and play out different scenarios. Risks just had to be taken to get the changes out on time.
Now, well past business hours, after dinner time, racing to get home should have been smooth sailing, with all rush hour traffic long gone – particularly because it was a weekend and so many people left a little early to enjoy their Friday night. It should have been a cinch to pick up the car and be home in short order.
Looking at the rideshare app, a car was just around the corner – no more than a few blocks away. It arrived in minutes and provided a fast trip to the auto shop. After paying the hefty bill and getting on the road home, traffic started to slow, then came to a dead stop.
Frustrated drivers changed lanes when possible, but the fastest speed wasn’t over 20 mph and it never lasted more than a few seconds. Something was holding everyone up and eventually, flashing lights and distance sirens made clear what was going on. Although all lanes were still, time kept tick, ticking by. The plumber hadn’t yet shown but was on the way.
Unsurprisingly, a detour became necessary, and taking it meant going all the way back, then through a circuitous route right past the office. But, the long alternate route wasn’t exactly the fastest way home. In fact, with so much traffic rerouted, travel along the road was well below the speed limit. Getting out and walking could have been much quicker.
Coming up to the office, it was apparent some who stayed a little past business hours were in the exact same predicament because they were out in the parking lot, talking and laughing. Then, the inevitable happened. With so many frustrated commuters trying to make their way home, another collision. Now, two ways back to the house were blocked. As for the third alternate choice, something well understood to avoid, wouldn’t be any better even if the road was clear, since it basically required driving in the opposite direction, making a kind of u-turn, then going almost the exact opposite way perpendicular, eventually requiring a long drive… way past home, eventually culminating in another u-turn to arrive back at the house.
No thank you.
It was far better to just pull off the street and into the parking lot at the office. At least passing the time wouldn’t be an issue and it meant getting to know new coworkers a little better, having only been in the area a short while.
Then, as coincidence would have it, there was a familiar face, Tommy C. It was unbelievable and surreal all at the same time. Turns out, the satellite office left back in the previous town was incrementally but aggressively shut down, with every single employee either relocated or let go. He decided to get out while the getting was good and followed right along to the exact same place. And now, there we all stood chatting and joking, waiting for the roads to clear.
Just as traffic began to lighten up, a huge storm quickly rolled in, forcing us to take shelter inside. Having to wait out the weather, we made the best of it, warming leftovers in the fridge and playing silly games. But, it also gave us time to brainstorm and rework a few things here and there, culminating in one damn fine piece of work.
All in all, it was just another day at the office.
