I had to travel for a client visit yesterday. Dallas to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and back in one day, and I didn't have direct flights. I had to get up before the sun (5 a.m.) and wasn't home until 11 p.m.
My colleagues and I were delayed at our stop-over, so we called to let the client know we were running a bit late. Then, the cab driver we got didn't know how to get to our client's. He called a friend and spoke a foreign language and supposedly got directions. However, I've been there several times and could tell he was going the wrong way. We asked him to turn around, and from the left lane -- not the turning lane -- and without looking, he proceeds to do a U-turn. Unfortunately for him, another driver was coming up in the left turn lane, and they collided. A little whiplash makes the day that much better, doesn't it?
We got to meet a friendly North Carolina state trooper as we waited on the side of the road for our client to come pick us up.
Our presentation went well, and the cab ride back to the airport was uneventful. We took our two flights home, only slightly delayed, and when I landed, I called Steve.
"I've got some news," he said.
Something in his voice made me cringe inside. "Okay..."
"Al's coming through Dallas/Fort Worth and is going to stay with us tonight."
Al (not Steph's Al, this is formerly-dairy-farmer-Al from Wisconsin) was Steve's late sister's boyfriend up until her death from lung cancer three years ago. He is like family and was extremely generous to us when we visited Wisconsin in July, allowing us to borrow a car and stay at his farmhouse. He has recently sold the farm and cows and traded it for the open road, trucking across country with various loads on a flatbed. I like him, and of course, he's always welcome, but after a long day of travel, I didn't really feel up to entertaining.
But Al is very easy-going, and Steve did most of the "entertaining." They were understanding when I went to bed. And luckily, we cleaned the house this weekend in anticipation of my uncle Tom's visit today. He should be arriving any minute now.
P.S. The Cakebread wine dinner was FANTASTIC!
4 comments:
That's always tough, when you see someone you really like, but you aren't quite all there to truly visit with them.
Well I thought our deal with the Houston Limo was bad when it ran out of gas, but yours was worse....
Aw, geez Em! What a terrible day. Myself, not being extremely accustomed to air travel, thought flying outa JFK at 9:30pm, with lots of turbulance, and arriving in Austin at midnight was tough...but this sounds worse. Along with your tired droopy eyes, an added neck pain was a "bonus" as Paige and Graham like to say.
So sorry you had a terrible day.
Good news: your presentation went well!
Hugs, Kisses!
Hope you got some R&R this weekend. Been thinking of you...
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