Now We're Even

This was to be my baking day---3 different cookies, party mix, 2 cheese balls, roast beef for sandwiches. Some for the family this week and some for the Titan's tailgate tomorrow. I'm enjoying the process---holiday music on the iPod and a glass of wine. Weeeellllll, Connie called about noon to say that she was dropping off the petit fours I ordered. She doesn't arrive and doesn't arrive. Finally, I get a call from her that she and Jack had been in an accident at the entrance to our neighborhood. Her exact words, "Barb, we've been in an accident at the entrance to your neighborhood. I'm hurt, but the petit fours are okay." I'm like---"I'm on the way!" I slip into some shoes and run out the door with no coat, glasses or cell phone---and it's coooolllld in Nashville today---38 degrees at that time.

I get to the car and Connie's bleeding all over. I look around for something to sop up the blood. I notice her gloves, but decide not to ruin those. I check the trunk and find a golf towel. I told her to apply pressure. She says, "and I really liked this outfit" to which I said, "don't worry, you can buy another at Costco." It's a joke that she finds a lot of her clothes there. But she laments, "no, this came from Ann Taylor!" I say f*** the outfit! Anyway, the bleeding stops so I get a look at the injury. She definitely was going to need stitches---I guessed about 4 or 5 (I'll find out tomorrow if I was right). Both she and Jack had their seatbelts on when they were rear-ended. I think she hit her head on the garage door opener. The police, fire department and rescue truck arrive. They started asking all the questions, then loaded Connie on a stretcher with a neck brace. Jack was out of the car, so they put a neck brace on him and put him in the ambulance too. Later, Connie told me that she was wondering if the man they put in with her was the man that had caused the accident. She didn't want to look at him or talk to him. The paramedics were questioning him. He said his name was John. Then they asked his last name---when he said Potter, she said, "Jack" and only then looked over to find out it was her own husband. From there, she started to correct every answer he gave the paramedics. The paramedic told Jack that that was the reason men get married---so their wives can correct them all the time!

I did overhear Connie say that she was 60. The paramedics kept repeating 60 yr. old female. I jumped in to correct that---almost 61!! Anyway, the ambulance left and I was sticking around to move the car and get all of their personal belongings. The cops started asking me all kinds of information---date of birth, driver's license info, auto insurance info, make and model---finally, I just told him that I'm completely ignorant about cars. I was just there to get my petit fours and move the car to my house. 

It took almost 2 hours before I was able to leave---I was completely frozen. Some nice man came up and "loaned" me a coat for about a half hour. I thought we were about done, so I gave it back to him and then spent another hour freezing. Why didn't I just go home and get my coat, you ask? They told me I couldn't leave. The crappiest thing---after all the emergency vehicles left, there was one cop left to write up the report. He got cold, so SAT in his warm car and had the rest of us---there were 4 cars involved---stand outside his car while he wrote. He would roll down his window if he wanted to ask one of us something. What a jerk!

When I finally got home---at 2, I got my coat and Butch and I went to the hospital. When I saw Connie, I told her that now we're even for the time last year when I asked her to pick up my mail when I was out of town. One of the days, she found about 15 huge boxes on my front porch that she had to move around to the garage. She has not let me forget that! 

I ask you, who made the bigger sacrifice? Moving a few boxes, or "cookie interuptus" (you've heard of coitus interuptus---same thing, but cookies).

Oh, and tonight, I am so sore ALL over. I finally figured out it's from tensing up and shivering for 2 hours! Feels like I've been in a wreck!