So picture me driving an hour to a wedding rehearsal last night, from Va Beach to Currituck, NC. Directions say: turn left onto VA-158, portions toll. I go whizzing by the ramp for VA-158 (of course), but signs still say "Business 158" so I'm debating whether I'm still ok to keep going.
Enter My Crazy:
I have this history of screwing up when driving. Like going whizzing by the turn I Needed to Make. And seriously, every time, I end up getting creative and messing myself up and wishing I had just turned around and gone the way I KNEW would be right instead of blazing a new trail into the wild unknown, only to take an extra 45 minutes getting to where I'm going. Grr.
Flash forward back to this particular car ride.
Elizabeth decides to actually play it safe, turn around, and take the ramp for VA-158. The thought process: Business 158 might hook back on to VA-158, but who knows where, and who knows where that will put me in relation to my destination. Joel's map isn't in the car so I can't consult. Yeah it's a partial toll road, but it'll be ok. It might not even be toll for the short time I'm on it. Blah blah blah, best idea is probably to stick with the directions and not be late for the rehearsal.
Yay, Elizabeth! Getting back on track! Way to be humble and admit when you messed up!
So Elizabeth, still addressing herself in third person, pulls onto the ramp for 158. Literally 100 feet onto the ramp, Elizabeth realizes she has NO CASH for the toll. After briefly debating whether to reverse it back off the ramp, Elizabeth thinks, how much could it really be? Joel keeps change in the ashtray.
And then Elizabeth beholds the sign: 2-axle cars, $2.00.
Two dollars?!?! Uh oh...and the toll plaza is mere yards away!
Elizabeth frantically digs through the ashtray (all the while reminiscing about the time she had to solicit a quarter from the driver behind her - really, who has more of an interest in getting you through the toll booth quickly?) and holds up traffic as she scrapes together every blessed nickel and dime and hands them to the bored (annoyed?)-looking toll lady.
And not a minute later, Elizabeth goes whizzing by Business-158 merging back on to VA-158.
Oh, the strongly-worded thoughts that entered my mind about Joel taking his map out of the car. Oh, the incredible anger that welled up within me knowing I could have avoided the whole situation. Oh, how difficult it was to let go of that two-dollar mistake. Don't you hate when the one time you decide to learn from your mistakes and eat crow, navigationally speaking, it turns around and bites you in the ashtray?
God really knows how to keep me humble.
Welcome to my crazy.
A La Carte (April 18)
22 hours ago
4 comments:
you really asked the guy behind you for a quarter?! hmmm...would becca have had the guts to do that? i'm not sure...all i know is: thank the Lord for ez pass in NJ. :-)
yeah about that...I was on my way back from a wedding (apparently I lack financial preparation when driving to and from wedding festivities) and found myself about 25 cents short of the upcoming toll. There was a long line progressing slowly through the toll booth, and I was in a mild panic wondering what my options were. At the time, the most appealing option seemed to run back to the guy behind me and beg. The guy and his lady passenger seemed a bit surprised to see me, go figure. But they supplied a quarter and I made it through the toll without (further) incident. Good times. You'd think I would have learned. Maybe we should look into ez pass?
A friend of ours picked up her kids from Camp Susque (north of Williamsport--approximate middle of Pennsylvania) and didn't realize that she had gotten onto Route 80 heading WEST (instead of east back to NJ) until she started seeing signs for Ohio.
hahaha!!! (just thought i'd leave a comment laughing at scott's previous comment :-)
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