We flew into Florida the other day. It was a most lovely flight; The second time the kids had flown and the excitement of the experience was still very high. Exiting the plane, riding the tram to pick up our rental car, the warm salty smell of the air, it was all very exciting. The kids were SO well behaved and we were all enjoying each other’s company. We had a nice(ish) hotel to hop over to, and a good thing since it was late and the excitement of travel was going to wear off soon. We hopped in the car in spot E12 the rental agent pointed us too and we were on our way.
As we were exiting the parking areas I gave my paperwork to the attendant who seemed to be taking a long time looking at it, my license, the car. “Is there someone named Amy in the car?” My ex-wife? Uh… no. “You’re in the wrong car. I can’t let you out.”
Well… damn. Everything was going smashingly until this point. I could feel my frustration rising. I’m NOT in the wrong car. They said take the one in E12. The keys were in it. I ordered an SUV, just like I was driving. My kids were settled. My bags were loaded. I don’t want to do this. Things were going so well.
I drove back around and parked (in E12 again) and told the kids to hang out while I took care of things (praying that they stayed in good spirits). I headed to the nearby counter (not the one I checked out in which was inside the airport) and got into the long line I had originally avoided by rushing off the plane, not waiting for checked bags and making amazing time.
The lady in front of me was very annoyed. As I looked on with a furrowed brow I thought “man, annoyed people sure look unpleasant to deal with. I’m glad I’m not annoy… oh damn.” I took a deep breath and thought “100 bad days make 100 good stories” and faked a smile.
“Did you get the wrong car too?” I asked her when she turned around to face me, tapping her foot anxiously. “I wish. I didn’t even GET a car. I went to my spot, E12 and there was NO CAR THERE.”
“Oh, that’s funny. They sent me to E12 and told me that I had the wrong car when I tried to leave. Are you Amy?” We compared our notes and sure enough, we were both directed to the same spot. I was just faster.
When she went up to the counter I asked her if I could join her, thinking it would be easier to clear up if we did it together. She told the attendant her troubles and I followed. Well I started to, but the guy, clearly frustrated after a long day of grumpy people pointed at me with a gnarled finger. “You’re next, not now. I’ll take care of you once she is done.”
So I stepped back with a smile on my face. He’s not my problem and I’ll not give him the power to affect my mood. The lady was mad. The attendant was grumpy. And I had an AJR head bouncing around in my head while I tapped my foot to in imaginary beat.
It took a while. There was a lot of head scratching and talk about where this lady’s car must have disappeared to. Finally she was given another spot with another car and she walked off in a huff with her family in tow. It was my turn.
I told the fellow what was happened to me, the car I had, the space I pulled it from and the conversation with the lady in front of me. I gave him a smile and said “I know this must be a frustrating thing to work through. Thanks for helping us out.” I swear it looked like I smacked the grumpy out of him. He looked down at the paperwork and back up at me and he had a different face on. “Oh, I think I see what happened. You were supposed to get a Toyota but they wrote the wrong space down. Let me see if I can find the car for you.”
“Well, the Chevy I’m in is perfect for us. Can I just leave with that so I don’t have to move my luggage and my kids?” He seemed so relived. He smiled at me, typed a moment, printed a new paper, handed it to me and told me to have a nice night.
I got back to the car. Thankfully the kids were quiet, the good mood was holding. “Did you get it taken care of?”, Bee asked.
“Nope! The line was too long. We’re just going to gun in when we get to the gate. The hotel is close, I think we can make it before the cops come.” Deadpan. No smile. “If they ask it was Ian’s idea.” I revved the engine and gripped the wheel, serious as a heart attack. I think I had them going.
“No! Papa we can’t do that! Please no. It’s fine, we’ll get in another car. We can’t start our trip like this!” I kept the gag going for a minute but just as I approached the gate again I pulled out the new paperwork and said. “Kidding. It’s straightened out. We’re good to go.”
I couldn’t believe how relieved they seemed! The car erupted in “Oh geez papa I thought we were going to run from the cops tonight! I didn’t want to abandon my bags in case we had to run on foot.”
The attendant barely looked at my license that time, scanned the car and moments later we were off to continue our adventure.
Life is fun.