I feel as if I’ve been driving around in the rain all day — probably because I have. If I had gone in a straight line instead of loops and circles, I could have been to Arizona by now, where it’s dry.

It all started this morning when I got up and it was pouring down rain again. It seems to do a lot of that lately.

I usually ride to work with honey. “It’s raining,” he said, as if I hadn’t noticed. “Didn’t you hear what they said on TV? There are already two wrecks on the interstate. We need to leave early.”

Early? I am having a hard time getting ready late.

Anyhow, I rushed around and we left. It wasn’t until we were 5 miles down the road that I remembered I had forgotten something — my car.

“Take me back!” I forgot I needed to drive my own car. “I have to leave early today.”

“I’ll never get to work,” he grumbled. “Why don’t you just use my car and then come back and get me after work? It’s easier.”

“Easier for whom?” I wondered.

But, that’s what we did. Traffic was awful, as it usually is when it rains, and we didn’t want to return to GO and start over.

Only three hours later, it was time for me to leave work. I drove back home in the rain to pick up my daughter for her doctor’s appointment, which was 10 miles in the opposite direction.

I pick up my own car and it was out of gas, naturally. It must be a law that cars always need gas when it’s raining.

After the doctor, we had prescriptions to get filled, so I might as well shop for groceries while we are out, and I won’t have to do it later in the rain. (Instead, I will do it now in the rain.)

Thank goodness my garage door opener was working. I’ve been fighting with it all winter. It works when it feels like it, and that’s usually not when it is raining.

Thirty minutes at home, and it’s time to drive back to town to pick up honey. Now his car is out of gas, so I had to stop at the gas station again. Traffic is its usual miserable self, so it takes twice as long as it should to get to town.

On the way back home there was no use taking the interstate. I saw on my way into town that traffic coming out was a 25 mile long parking lot. So, we came home on back roads through the puddles.

What a miserable day. I’m too tired to cook. “Let’s go to a restaurant.” Did I mention that it was still raining?

Honey, who had been in his nice dry office all day, decided that we needed a few things from the grocery store while we were out. “Why didn’t you call me when you were there?” he asked.

I waited in the car while he went inside and watched people fight for parking places in the rain. Boy, if someone backs out and another car is waiting, a different car better not even think about pulling in that place.

Have you noticed how there are never any parking places near the front of the lot when it rains? But all those places are suddenly empty after you’ve already parked.

“I’m not filling up the gas tank tonight,” honey said. Good idea.

When I finally got home for the fifth time today, I decided I was not going anywhere else, regardless, not even Arizona where it’s dry. If Arizona needs me, it will have to come here.

Copyright 2008 Sheila Moss