My Thanksgiving Adventure

Now that I have recovered from my unscheduled holiday quest, I am now able to put it down in my journal. On Wednesday night, the phone rang and it was from my second son Robert. It seems his car had broken down in Olney Illinois. He was there making a delivery for the courier/delivery service company that he works for. A geriatric rehab center needed to stock up their meds to cover the holiday. Rob made it there but when he tried to leave, his car wouldn't go into gear. Thinking that it was low on transmisssion fluid, he asked if I could send him some money through Walmart. (Poor Rob really doesn't make any money on this job. It's just enough to pay his car insurance, his personal property tax, and pay for his gas. The employer considers him and the other drivers  "private" contractors. He charges $10 a week for uniform rental, and $20 dollars a week rental for the special phone/radio required to keep in touch with the dispatcher.) It is a pretty rotten place to work for  except if you own the business.  Rob has a degree in business administration and another in accounting and he is in consideration for some positions in his field, but so far no luck.  So I got up and went to Walmart and sent him enough money to get what he needed plus something to eat. I called him with the claim number and he was able to get the money at their local Walmart.  At around 10 p.m., he called and said that adding the fluid didn't work. I couldn't leave him stranded ther so I mapquested directions to Olney, and headed out to get him. The directions said that it would take 3.15 hours. I guess that would be in broad daylight. Once I left the main highway, those country roads are not lighted at all and it's easy to miss your turns.Once I wound up on a dirt road, and it took me awhile to turn around and get back to the main highway. I turned around in the first drive I could find. Of course, it was a small cemetery...at 1:00 am...and did I mention that it was pitch dark? Not only that, but my peripheral vision picked up some movement to my left!  As I hurriedly backed out, I saw that it was just a small American flag flapping on a grave. That provided all the explanation I needed, (I wasn't about to investigate further), and I left in rather a hurry. I'm not particularly superstitious, but no sense in pressing my luck. One stretch of the back roads was barely wide enough for two cars and had a drainage ditch on the side of the road I was on. As I was driving ,something stirred in the ditch. I saw a wide set of wings flapping in the ditch and whatever it was, it kep pace with me for a few seconds. It was probably an owl that I had disturbed on it's hunt for rodents, and like I said, I'm not particularly superstitious...but still thoughts go through your mind. At last I arrived in town, some 4.5 hours later. Earlier,I had Rob get a room at the local motel  and joined him there. The next morning, I had Rob drive back. It's amazing how much easier it is to see your turns in the daylight. The rest of Thanksgiving went as Thanksgiving should. Lots of food, family interaction, trivial pursuit games, football, and more food.  I was touted as the hero of the day. (Don't know how many more hero assignments I can take these days...those midnight rides take it out of a fella.) The next day, we called the local transmission shop and he is making arrangements to get the car towed from the rehab center to his shop. When it's repaired, we have to drive back to get it. This time the drive will be in daytime!!! It was an interesting day...but as the old curse goes "May you live in interesting times". I could do with a little stretch of boring days.  Hopefully, Rob will be able to get another job soon...but with a lot of companies folding in our area, there's a LOT of competition out there. We shall see.  Nothing else much going on. (I think that's quite enough, don't you?) Be well,Tom