I have a hate/hate relationship with carpool. I hate the parents who think the rules don’t apply to them. I hate how long the bus would take if my son rode it home. I don’t really mind the waiting in line myself. I view it as me time. I use those moments of quiet to read, check email, putz on social media, flip though a magazine. Most days I tweet something snarky about carpool. The battery of wisecrack tweets met karma today.
I was stuck in the carpool line with a dead battery.
I had even gotten there early, thinking I could spare Bird the wait for a change. I was stuck in a one lane stretch surrounded by holly bushes that would have scratched up cars if they tried to maneuver around me. I panicked, as I do. I quickly whispered a little thank you to the Fates for triggering a shoe change from heels to flip flops before I left the house. I ran to the car behind me to let the mom know what happened. I ran into the office, playing Frogger against the stream of students barreling out of the school. Someone who looked very authoritative with his walkie talkie helped me get things under control. The school security guard happens to be a car dude so he knew right away it was my battery. He helped me find jumper cables and directed cars to take a new path. Everyone veered away, on their way.
The woman behind me stayed and helped the gentleman with the jumper cables jump my car. I had no idea what to do and was still fretting in my cloud of panic. I knew all the parents were cursing me under their breath. I felt the stink eyes piercing me from all directions. But I was in the midst of good samaritans who had places to be and things to do too. They were gentle and kind and reassuring as they helped me, even after the sparks. Yes, there were sparks. I might have audibly yelped. They got me going without laughing or judging. Bird hopped in the car with a smile instead of an expression of horror. He was more bemused than embarrassed, so there’s that.
Carpool karma tastes a bit acidic. I had to do something to sweeten it up.
Carpool Karma
1 ounce citron vodka (I used Stoli Citros.)
4-6 ounces fresh watermelon juice
wedge of lime
2 generous sprigs of fresh mint
Add ice, vodka, watermelon juice, and 1 sprig of mint to a shaker. Squeeze in the lime and and shake. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with mint.
I’ll sit back with one of these and toast the good folks who helped me today (Will get ready to hang my head in shame come Monday). Cheers!