Bus
Station
It
was as hot August day. The two hundred mile drive in the old Chevy station
wagon to visit friends seemed to drag on forever. The air conditioning wasn't
working very well and that only encouraged the shortness of patience. It was
turning into a day of infamy for the Semsch family.
After
several potty stops and nearing our destination I thought it would be fun to
take a side trip to an ancient Indian buffalo jump. There are a number of these
historic places in Montana. Maybe a little history lesson on the way would be a
welcome diversion. The problem was I missed the exit on the Interstate.
That
mistake started a heated discussion between Judy and I. Actually it had started
long before then and now my navigational error led to an escalation in martial
disagreement. By the time we arrived in town, Judy and I were yelling at each
other. Ever been in a situation where the next few words were going to seal
your fate? This is where I put my foot in my mouth big time.
Driving
by the Greyhound bus station, I mentioned to Judy that if she was that upset
with me why didn't she get on the bus and go visit her mother. That was the
last straw as far as she was concerned. She took me up on the suggestion and
said to drop her off at the bus station. So that's what I did and drove away
with four screaming kids in the car wanting their mother back!
Now
what do I do? After driving around for twenty minutes, I swallowed my pride and
told the kids we were headed back to pick up their mom hoping she hadn't left
yet. There she was sitting on the steps of the bus station not a happy camper.
I asked her to get in the car, which she finally did. I drove to the city park,
let the kids get out and run around while we tried to act like adults.
The
moral of this story is: 1) only go for long drives on hot days with a car that
has good air conditioning; 2) don't promise something and get distracted and
miss the exit; 3) learn to keep your mouth shut and only open it to say “I am
sorry, you were right, please forgive me.”
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