Member That Time we Got Dropped Off on the Highway?!?

IT HAPPENED...the kind of thing you expect to happen when you're traveling the country and you serve a God with a unique sense of humor! My car got TOWED!!!

I was picking up my friend Eddie for dinner but when I pulled into his apartment complex (a lot more like a dorm for SDSU students) he wasn't quite ready so he asked if I wanted to come in and meet his roommates. This experience alone was enough comic relief to get me through the night. Two were from Germany and the other, Saudi Arabia. The friend I was seeing was from Jackson MS, which might as well be foreign, so between the 5 of us there wasn't a whole lot of understanding but there were definitely A TON of clarifying questions. We talked all of 20 minutes, about what I couldn't tell you because I'm not altogether sure. I got a glass of water, used the restroom and then we were off! We walked outside and my car was no where to be found. I'm not sure if you've ever had the feeling, but if you have you know that I can't possibly do it justice by trying to write it out. Fear, anger, anxiety, denial, bargaining...all of the grieving stages bundled into 2 loaded seconds. Your stomach drops, your blood pumps, your knees go weak...WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAR?!?

Within 5 minutes we figured out it was in fact towed and that YES, it would be hell on earth to get it back! (Brian Regan anyone?!?) Neither me or Eddie knew the area or the bus system and it was only nearly 7 but it was already getting dark. We roamed around (each carrying one of my obnoxiously huge purses...thank god I had taken them out with me because while it was awful to carry em, it gave me piece of mind to have my important things with me).

We posted up at a bus stop (the wrong one of course). When a bus finally rolled through the bus driver must have felt bad for us because he was kind enough to help...said,"there are no buses that go directly that way but I can get you as close to there (the towing company) as possible. THANK GOD, YOU'RE AN ANGEL! well I spoke too soon because he literally drove us a mile or 2 then pulled over at the side of the highway and let us off. He gave us directions and pulled off. UMMMM, hello, its dark and we're on the frickin freeway! when I pulled up GPS it told us we had another 3.7 miles so we just started walking. At about the mile and a half mark the woman from the towing place called (she had by now become my worst enemy...i mean really ma'am, you'll have a large chunk of my hard earned money in your hands tonight, could you be a little more helpful? At least sensitive? Maybe even just kind?!?) she called to tell me that she'd be telling her worker to leave the yard if we weren't there in 15 minutes. So with our large bags we began to run. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life as we did a full sprint to the finish line...breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth, in through your nose, out through your mouth.

Even after getting there it seemed to be all problems. My dad's name is on the title and all the registration forms and the guy helping us that night was what one might call an avid rule follower. I showed him that the address on my ID was the same one under my dads name, showed him my name on my triple A card...nothing was good enough, he said he needed my name on a document with vehicle description to prove that I in fact was allowed to have this particular car. I found an insurance slip with my dad and moms name and right as I handed it over, Eddie asked him a question about his job and I'm thinking it distracted him enough to not realize that Kimberlee Hunter was NOT my name. Whatever happened it worked and we begun the paperwork!

THREE HUNDRED and THIRTY-THREE dollars later (ouch!) we got in my car and started to laugh (my laugh turned into a sort of hysterical cry of course!) There was a part of me that felt bad for Eddie (I felt worse for myself of course) but I seemed to be inconsolable...that pit in my stomach just wouldn't go away, plus I was just done...beyond exhausted. He offered to get me a drink, a milkshake...whatever would help ("I'll pay he said laughing!") Ya...I guess a milkshake couldn't hurt! We pulled into In-n-Out and sat for an hour reliving and recovering from the night.

I kinda wish I had an amazing take-away, a life lesson of sorts...something to show for the black hole that is now my bank account. But all I could think to say is check and DOUBLE check parking signs, those towing companies aren't messin around!