Outbursts Anonymous

Hello, my name is Wendy and it has been 7 days since my last Irrational Outbursts.  You might recall this gem of a picture from my previous public outburst.

I have had a tough few weeks.  It felt like I'd cross one thing off to the to do list and five more things would get added, everything urgent. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I was driving Mr. Boy home from his fourth doctor's appointment in the last three days for a rare virus,  when my car gave a shudder, sputtered, and then died right there.   With adept maneuvering that I gleaned from my years playing Pole Position on Atari, I pulled over into a 10 minute Loading Zone.  After a rush of a 100 phone calls to get a tow truck ordered, AK picked up from Dance,  and pleading for the Mechanic to stay open for us... we got out and waited in 111 degree heat.  I noticed a Parking Cop making his way over to us.  I thought nothing of it, because maybe he was here to help.   But it turns out he was not there to help, he was there to give me a ticket for exceeding my 10 minutes in the loading zone.

I was already furious that my car had died, I had just taken my car in for maintenance the week before. There was NO reason for this to happen, except it was a just a freaky coincidence.  I started to argue with the cop and list off the 10 reasons I didn't need this ticket. Allegedly I may have been talking in a very loud voice about my dumb luck, how my day was terrible, my son was sick with this crazy weird rash, and it was hot and I'm sure my son was dehydrated. I told him that the last possible thing I needed was a ticket.  Before I knew it the parking cop was backing off and talking in his radio.

I thought that he had taken pity on me and I turned my attention to a fire truck and ambulance making it's way up the street and wondered what was going on.   Then I noticed the fire truck slowing down and stopping along side my car.   Uh oh... turns out the fire truck and ambulance were there for us... "To the Hysterical Mother with the sick son, who has suffering from heat stroke."   

A handy diagram of the scene

Dang it.. when am I going to learn that the hysterical outbursts does nothing but cause a scene.  The upside to all the commotion was that we got some water, Mr. Boy got to hang out with the fireman and the fire truck helped guide the tow truck into position and tow my car. 

 

To say that I was mortified would be an understatement.  For the record, Mr. Boy didn't have heatstroke, and the firemen told me they thought it was ridiculous to give a ticket to someone whose car broke down.   I'm not sure how much I believe them... because they also said they didn't think I was crazy...