Shameful on my part. Very embarrasing, like a Social Disease. Ugh.
At first it was lazyness. All my brothers and sisters are one to one-year-and-a-half apart in age. So there was always someone going through that stage of JUST GOT MY LICENSE when all mom had to do was mumble something about there being no milk and the newly licenced would volunteer to heroically make it all right again. So touching...
So I never HAD to learn to drive. There was, from my point of view, no incentive.
Then I got into college. My dorm was across the street from campus, and Paseo de Diego, a pedestrian-only street full of stores was a few minutes away. Again, there was no need to drive.
I met my Beloved Tormentor in college. He was the night security guard on my dorm. So whenever I could not sleep, I could just go down to the first floor and talk a while. No driving necessary. When things got serious and we were formally a couple, part of the mating dance was driving me places and showing me stuff. No need to drive, again.
A few years ago, my neighbor, a single mom I knew from college calls me. She is having and asthma attack. I tell her I cannot take her to the hospital since I do not drive. She tells me she does not need a driver, she needs a friend and someone to care for Baby. I agree, we get on the SUV and get rolling to the nearest ER. Auxilio Mutuo. She goes into the round driveway, stops the car, tosses the keys at me and wheezes "park the car" before leaving.
I am blocking the ER entrance, there are people watching and THERE IS A BABY IN THE BACK SEAT! Of course I drove the car. It jumped the curve, would not go straight and I got it to stop right when I was about to hit the water fountain. There I mustered whatever dignity I still had and asked for help from an ambulance driver. A real gentleman, he saw the entire thing and did not laugh at me.
The baby did not even wake up.
Anyways, I started to consider this driving thing might be useful someday... Then I promptly forgot about it.
Married now. We have different work schedules. He has to be there at 4:45 am. I start at 8am.
At first I took the bus. But my bus stop is located right in front of one of the refuges where they help drugaddicts. While I waited for my bus to arrive, I was surrounded by a group of men waiting for their bus to take them to ASEM to get their methadone treatment. No big deal, right? They were trying to do the right thing... Yep, I idiotically put myself in a dangerous situation.
The monday after Thanksgiving, as I was waiting for my bus, one of the guys was having a fit. It seems he had missed a few appointments on his therapy and they might cut him out of the program. He was telling his friend how the hospital staff HAD to give him the STUFF, and out he takes a knife.
HOLY-S***!
It was not a Rambo machete-knife. It was one of those plastic thingies they use to open boxes, with etching on the blade so you can break pieces of it off... Can screw you up just as bad.
The guy is doing a desperate little dance, waiving that knife around and telling his buddies how bad he was going to srew someone up at the hospital if anyone gave him grief. And I am watching the knife, watching the knife, 'cause if that dude gives one step in my direction I am gonna go WHOOSH!
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Anyways, my bus came, I got in, the driver tells me never to wait there again (cause in Puerto Rico we like to give unsolicited advise) but I don't mind the meddling 'cause , Man, he was right.
When my husband came to pick me up after work I told him of the incident, trying to make light of it, no big deal...
Now he takes me and picks me up from work. At 5 am he leaves me at a deli near my job and goes to work. As a result, he is getting in late everyday. Has been reprimanded a few times. And all because I had no incentive to drive.
Do I feel guilty?
You have no idea.
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