Whoever You Are, I Want To Thank You.

Me + driving in the snow = disaster.

6:50 a.m. this morning we get a message on the machine from Mr. C the principle at Ste. Gen High School saying that school was cancelled because of school. John left 45 minutes ago, and I have no way to telling him, SINCE HE DOESN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE. I call my dad, he says the roads are fine, and to come to work.

7:30 a.m. this morning I'm talking to Matt on the phone on the way to work. There's not much snow on the road, and Ste. Gen has called off school. I told Matt I thought they were whimps for calling off school because the roads weren't bad.

7:50 a.m. this morning I am in my car, on Hwy Y, sliding backwards down a really big hill. I'm crying, I'm pissed off, I'm scared. My knuckles are white; gripping the steering wheel with a death grip. When I get to the bottom of the hill, I turn my car around, and decide I'm only about 2 miles from the major highway, and I will just go home.

8:15 a.m. this morning my front wheels are in the ditch, a mere 2 tenths of a mile from the big hill. I call my dad, I call a tow truck. You know things are bad when the tow truck doesn't want to come get you. He tells me he'll come out if I can't find anybody else. Thanks for the reassurance, dude. I call John, he's at school. Dad starts to prepare the truck (that has no 4 wheel drive and is about 12 miles from me.)

8:20 a.m. I try to go forwards and backwards, inching down the ditch instead of pulling out of it. A Jeep Chereokee flies over the hill, swerves directly towards me going about 50 mph, I say the F-word on the phone with my dad and start crying again.

8:45 a.m. this morning a really nice guy in an Explorer pulls over. His car starts sliding towards mine, and I freak out. His wheels stop (I realize I must buy new front tires because my car would have never been able to stop mid-hill like that) and he gets out to give me a push. He is older, has long hair in a ponytail, and a faded bomber jacket on, but he looks like Superman to me.

8:50 a.m. this morning two younger guys show up with a huge white truck with 4x4, and big monster tires. They said they went passed me earlier and came back to help me. They chain the back of my car to their truck, one guys drives, the other younger guy and the bomber jacket guy push my car out of the ditch. No damage to the car, just my nerves. I'm in the middle of a little hill that my car won't go up now. Two cars are waiting down the road on one side, and three cars are waiting at the top of the little hill. I let one of the younger guys try to drive my car up the little hill. He spins my car around, front tires sliding, back tires staying in the same place, like a cop car in a chase on t.v. turning a corner at top speed. He gets a good running start, gets very close to the top, but doesn't make it. The bomber jacket guy is in his car, and motions for me to get in his car because he can see I'm cold. The guy driving my car backs back down the little hill, they let a few cars go past. He's at the bottom of the little hill, revving my engine, loving every minute of it. He makes it up the hill. The bomber jacket guy drives me to my car. I tell him I work for the Sainte Genevieve Winery and I don't have anything to give him, but would like to offer him my card and tell him to go to the winery and get a free bottle of wine. He declines. I get out of his car, thank the guy getting out of my car and offer him a bottle of Red Raspberry wine that I had in my car to give to Sally on Friday but forgot.

9:15 a.m. this morning I am back in my car driving to the highway. The bomber jacket guy says he will follow me to the highway. I get onto Hwy 67, honk at the bomber jacket guy and call John and dad.

9:45 a.m. this morning I am waiting for John to meet me at the Herculaneum commuter parking lot.

10:30 a.m. this morning I am safely at home. Ug.

The whole purpose of a snow day is so you don't have to battle the snow. What a waste of a day off.

Those guys... I wish I had a better way to thank all of them, especially the bomber jacket guy. I appreciate them more than they can imagine. I like to think that what goes around comes around, so they are due some good fortune, and I am due to help a stranger.