Walking Backwards

I sit here at the end of the weekend feeling, once again, like I am behind the eight-ball and that nothing was accomplished. It wouldn't be so bad if I actually able to say that I got some rest, but alas, no such luck. The reason behind all this is my brother, of course. On Thursday afternoon he wrecked his car and I have been driving him around every day since. It really wouldn't be so bad if he didn't go to school every day in another city. I always volunteer to help my brother whenever he has car trouble, but in my haste to be a good sister, I forget what a pain it is. Tomorrow will be the last day, though, because Joe and I found him a car today. We found it in the paper and Joe took it for a test drive. So, unless the guy sells it from under us and walks away with our $100 deposit, I'm no longer the chauffeur starting Monday night.

I have to tell the story of the accident because I've heard it two dozen times already and haven't had a chance to relay it myself. Travis was driving to his piano lesson on Thursday and had made it about two miles down the highway from our house when a lady a few cars in front of him got a flat tire. Instead of being an intelligent and considerate driver, she just stopped her car in the right lane in the middle of the highway. I understand that there are some situations where you do have to stop your car right then and there, but this wasn't one of them. She could have moved the fifty yards that would have enabled her to pull the car onto the shoulder, but she didn't. Eventually when the police came she moved her car up and over with no troubles at all. Well, so, there was a woman who stopped in the right lane of the highway (with no shoulder at that point [on a small bridge]); when she stopped the school bus that was driving behind her came to a complete stop. Travis was driving behind the school bus and tried to get over, but the person in the car next to him wouldn't let him over. He slammed on his brakes, but he still hit the school bus. His car was totaled, the school bus barely sustained a dent. The school bus was empty for those who are wondering. I, myself, asked if the school bus had any children on it just after making sure my brother wasn't injured.

So that is the story of the car accident. I won't go into the boring details of getting all of Travis' stuff from the wrecker lot at eight o'clock at night with two really scary guys standing over us, nor will I talk about the ensuing chaos that this event caused in my schedule. Instead I'll talk about the other events (or event) that we attended this weekend, Megan's third birthday party. Nicholas has a great deal of fun, although he mostly played by himself. The have a giant trampoline and that was the thrill of all the toddlers'. The birthday theme was the most interesting, Megan chose snakes. Freud would have been proud. For several weeks, when I drove her to and from school, when the subject of her birthday was brought up she would say that all she wanted for her birthday was a purple snake cake. And she got one. They had a "snake pit" that you had to walk over on a balance beam and lots of snake pictures to color. When the kids went home, they all got to take home one of the snake toys that filled the snake pit. Nicholas wouldn't take his nap without it. Joe and I didn't enjoy the party as much, sadly. We didn't really have as much in common with the people there as would have enabled us to hold meaningful conversations with them. Bill and Cathy are fun to be around, but we felt a little too out of place. I am so bad at being social.