Suddenly I got a really funny feeling.... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 10-19-2007, 08:39 PM

About ten years ago or so My lovely Mrs. and my lovely #'s 3 and 4 daughters took off for Florida on Spring Break. We were planning to make it in one day so we left early, traveling in our '85 Suburban Diesel 9 passenger.

We left before dawn and by 900 am were near Lexington Ky and had to stop for a potty break. My Mrs. and the two girls were spread out through the Suburban sleeping. I was the only one awake, so I got out leaving the car running and hurried into the rest area to use the men's room.

When I was done I got back into the car and noticing the front seat empty assumed that Whomever had been there had crawled in the back to sleep stretched out.

So I turned the mighty Suburban southward and rattled my way along. After about another hour I stopped at a filling station and filled the tank with diesel and headed back onto the road marveling at the great sleep my ladies were enjoying in the back of the Suburban. Now mind you it DID have the tinted glass behind the driver's position.

When I am on vacation my mind gets into a kindof extra dimension of imagination, similar to the semi trance I go into when working on a design for a building. Sometimes hours can go by without much realization of time passing if I am working on a design problem at night when the phone does not ring. On this trip I had an early cell phone which was just a little smaller than a consol tv and it was hidden away in the luggage in the back of the Suburban.

So here I am humming along.....

Around 11:45 or so I decided to stop for lunch. Before I got out I announced loudly that I was going to get some sandwiches at the Subway that was attached to the filling station. But I was concerned about the level of the brake fluid so I checked that and purchased a can of fluid and put some in and decided to go ahead and get some sandwiches for all of us.

I was so proud of myself as I bought exactly the right sandwich with just the right combination of condiments for my dozing ladies....

And I got back in the Suburban and put the sandwiches on the dash for when the sleeping beauties woke up.

So here i am buzzing along nearing mountainous areas of middle Tennesee munching on my roast beef Subway and thinking marvelous thoughts about motor home conversions of an Eldorado Diesel or whatever outlandish automotive pipe dream happened to be tickling my on vacation fancy.....

When suddenly I got this really funny feeling.....

I pulled the Suburban over to the side of the road and looked in the back seats for the first time since a long time and discovered that the back end was empty of any of my lovely ladies! WHAT THE He77?

So I immediately got into the back and got out the cell phone, pulled an illegal U turn and headed north!

I called my mother in law who was living in our carriage house and asked her if she had heard from the Mrs.......YES, was the very stern (northern German blooded) response. So I said, OK I know where they are, they are at the Subway, right? NO? (WTF)....They are at the BP station right?.....NO? (double WTF)....They can't be all the way back at the Rest Stop.........

yes.

Holy leaping crap! Tell her I will be there asap!

So for the better part of two hours I sped north as fast as a diesel suburban would go.

And I am running all the things to say over in my mind....."Why didn't you guys tell me you were getting out of the car?????????"......." how was I supposed to know you got out to go potty too?????"

So anyway I am just trying all these clever arguements over in my mind that will place the blame squarely where it belongs ...on my hapless family....I am saying them out loud and practicing them to get the words just right and finally I realized that the only thing to do was.......

So I pulled into the rest area and went in to find them and said "I am so sorry for leaving you all behind." So with not much ado they all got into the car. I am thinking "boy, I am getting off easily".

As we pulled onto the interstate the silence was deafening. "see? I bought you all sandwiches...your favorites!".....Silence.....then the Mrs. says...."I don't want a subway sandwich, I want real food"....."oh ok, sure, whatever you want"

As we sped along looking for a place to eat that would suffice, finally after about another ten minutes my lovely long suffering Mrs. said....

"We decided that if you blamed it on us we were simply going to destroy you".

So for once in my life I had figured out the right thing to say.

We didn't make it to Florida that night.

But I got excellent fuel economy.

They had spent over three hours sitting in a pretty chilly rest stop with only two coats between the three of them with nothing to eat, and no money. They had borrowed money to call her mom collect and waited and waited until mr. absent minded dreamer realized he had driven off without his family. My Mrs. actually in the physical discomfort of it all had begun to wonder if I had actually done it on purpose!

And I got a story that has become a legend around Lafayette. Folks I don't even know when introduced to me will say "Say, aren't you the guy who left your family behind in a rest stop one time in kentucky?"

Tom W

kerry · #2 10-19-2007, 08:48 PM

If you'd have posted that story before the other one you posted this week, none of us would have been surprised that you filled up your diesel with gasoline.

Brian Carlton · #3 10-19-2007, 08:52 PM

Yeah, Tom..........filling the diesel with gas............leaving the family at a rest stop for two hours before figuring it out..........you might be slipping a bit.........age creeping up............???

Don't be considering skydiving anytime soon.............

Hammertime · #4 10-19-2007, 08:53 PM

what kind of sandwiches?

connerm · #5 10-19-2007, 09:02 PM

You went from before dawn to after noon before discovering this? Really unbelieveable. My wife would have insisted I went for a cat scan.

t walgamuth · #6 10-19-2007, 09:16 PM

Not THAT long, for pete's sake.....no need to exaggerate!

Tom W

Kuan · #7 10-19-2007, 09:25 PM

No regrets ten years later? Good man.

Wonderful family.

Medmech · #8 10-19-2007, 09:30 PM

No harm no foul, thats what I say when I screw up.

Jim B. · #9 10-19-2007, 09:40 PM

Used to see them in the Sausalito/San Franciso area years ago, the Tourist shops all had them.

"Oh, f***, I left the baby on the bus!!"

http://www.rerock4ever.com/tshirts/product.php?xProd=628

Mistress · #10 10-19-2007, 10:00 PM

Tom- What did we do before cell phones? My dad always did a head count before leaving the rest stops when we were on a "driving adventure," for fear of a flaming.

davidmash · #11 10-19-2007, 10:51 PM

I hope you don't mind me throwing you under the bus but the next time my wife says something to the affect of "I cannot believe anyone could do something so stupid..." I'm going to show her this thread. If that does not shut her up, I might as well just give up.

This has to be one of the better stories on here. This might be my get out of jail card.

aklim · #12 10-20-2007, 01:14 AM

2 words to a successful marriage. "Yes, Dear"

Hatterasguy · #13 10-20-2007, 01:23 AM

Sure it wasn't on purpose?

Oh this thread is getting emailed to a few people, this is to good just for OD.

t walgamuth · #14 10-20-2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

2 words to a successful marriage. "Yes, Dear"

Now here is another thing I agree with Aklim on!

Tom W

t walgamuth · #15 10-20-2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidmash

I hope you don't mind me throwing you under the bus but the next time my wife says something to the affect of "I cannot believe anyone could do something so stupid..." I'm going to show her this thread. If that does not shut her up, I might as well just give up.

This has to be one of the better stories on here. This might be my get out of jail card.

Just glad to help!

Tom W