The Most Frightening Day of My Life

I don't think that I am exaggerating as I title my blog tonight. As you may know, we had a rather dramatic snowstorm today in Boston that hit mid afternoon, right around the time that everyone was sent home from work and school early, getting those people stuck in traffic, in freezing temperatures, amidst car wrecks and chaos. I was one of those people, but that isn't the scary part.

I left my office around 4, later than I would have liked because of office policies related to the need to make sure that there were enough people in the building to take care of our patients. Meanwhile, Abby had picked up the Roxanne from nursery school at 1:30, with Stella in the car. They were in bad traffic moving very, very slowly toward home.

By around 4:30 I was in deep trouble, stuck in a parking lot on Route 9 in Newton, barely creeping forward. I traveled a mile or so in an hour and a half. At 6 PM I got a call from Abby. She was just about to enter Wellesley. A few minutes later she called again: her car had broken down and totally died.
She was stuck on the side of a busy street, cars swerving all around her, two scared, tired little children crying in the back seat, no heat. She called 911, but they were overwhelmed and couldn't help her. Meanwhile I called a nearby (to her) wine shop called Lower Falls Wine to see if they were open, and I asked if she could shelter there. They agreed, and she got the kids out of the car and went to Lower Falls Wine, where they gave them food, access to the bathroom and looked after my girls very well.

Meanwhile I consulted with my boss Marsha and got off Route 9, wending my way through the snow clogged and car packed streets of Newton until I got to a more open stretch of roads. I got into another traffic jam, took another detour, then got into another jam. It was now 6:45. Not too far away, past the broken down and wrecked cars, the blinking lights and the blowing snow, I could see the distinctive red building of Lower Falls Wine Co. As I got close, I saw Abby's car on the side of the road, covered in snow, dark and dead. I fought my way into the parking lot and accosted a customer. "Inside that store there is a woman with two little children. Whisper to her that Charlie is in the parking lot." I went to Abby's car and failed to start it, but got Stella's car seat (Roxanne has a seat in my car) and a few other things. I installed the seat and then marched in to the store. I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life. I said "sorry I'm late, some fool left a Subaru Forrester parked in the middle of the road." Roxanne cried, Stella told me my hat was "pretty," and we got everyone into my car.

Twenty minutes of treacherous but unobstructed driving later, we were home. Abby's car is  abandoned in Newton, they'll probably tow it and I'll spend the day tomorrow finding it and getting the battery charged. My driveway is impassable and my car is getting plowed in on the road. I am going to miss work tomorrow.

But my little girls are asleep in their beds, my wife is safe and I am home. I truly worried that I would never see them again. Today was the most frightening day of my life

Comments

[LilMisBusy]

Glad you're all home and safe. Take care.