late to the party
I’ll tell you a quick story.
Yesterday, my office has our Christmas Party. It’s offsite, and I (always) have a lot to do so I work up until I can’t quite make on time to the venue. I’m walking out to my car, I see the mayor walking towards me. He shrugs at me and says “Where’s the Party?”
“The Holland Center,” I say. He looks startled and says “Hoh, I’m glad I ran into you; I thought it was in the council chambers!”
He about-faces, and starts walking back to his truck. I think, “Great. I can’t be late, because I’m going to get there before the mayor!” I step lively to my Rogue so I’d be sure to exit the parking lot first, which I do – I see him backing his truck out of his space as I pull out onto Cave Creek road.
The venue is only a few miles and a couple stoplights away, so I’m doing my usual 9mph over the speed limit, and I see the truck pulling out of the town hall drive, and then accelerate rapidly. Huh? I work all the council meetings, and the mayor talks a LOT about people going too fast on Cave Creek road. I’ve always figured that I’m one of the people he’s talking about, but I’m doing 9 over and this guy flies past me.
Okay, I hit the gas.
Gotta be honest with you, I decide I can’t try to keep up. I routinely speed, but I don’t want to compromise public safety that much. I decide to limit myself to 15 over and think “Well, at least if the Sheriffs are out they’ll catch him first.”
The stoplight ahead is red and I see him slowing down and then get into the right turn lane. We need to go LEFT. Oh man, what do I do. I mean, maybe he needs to make a stop somewhere else and that’s why he was in such a hurry? Or, is he confused? Did I accidentally tell him the Rodeo Grounds? Do I honk? Do you HONK at a MAYOR? Right on red, he turns. He’s gone. I realize that I’m starting to have an acute moment, so five slow breaths, identify five things I can see, I see … in my rearview mirror, the mayor sedately pulling into the turn lane behind me, because of course I do.
I did pull into the venue just before him, but he beat me inside. I needed a moment.