The Hour Long Minute

I’m finally off of work from my overnight shift and now comes the hard part. I do Ride-share driving for about two or three hours after I get off of work each morning, not only to make ends meet, but to put away a little extra money for my rapidly approaching wedding.

What makes THIS the hard part? Just simply trying to stay awake after nine hours on my feet at my company. We manufacture blood collection kits used by the blood donation outlets and I have to really run around a lot to operate and to maintain the automated machines that produce these units. So I don’t always realize how exhausted I am until I start driving around the city in a comparatively relaxed state.

On this day I pulled up to a red light and watched the clock hit the magical hour of 6:00 a.m. That’s when I turn on my radio to my favorite local sports channel hoping to catch up on the latest with my Denver teams. Often I’m just trying to fill in the gaps for the details of what my boss has already tipped me off to during work, herself being a local sports fan as well. And quite honestly, if their reporting of the game’s highlights are exciting enough, it may help keep me awake.

But invariably I begin thinking of all the things my fiancé still needs me to do in preparation for our rapidly approaching nuptials. As I’m driving around awaiting my first passenger, as usual it quickly becomes a struggle to keep my eyes open.

Right about then my worst nightmare happens. Apparently I dozed off just long enough to run a red light and get t-boned. Suddenly everything I’ve been working towards was now screwed up. What was I thinking? Why didn’t I pull over for a short little rest for crying out loud?

Thank goodness I wasn’t badly injured but my car was totaled. I’ve only had it a year and I spent all my spare cash, plus another thousand dollars, just for the down payment and I still owe more than my insurance will give me as a payoff. And since it was ME who ran the red light, I’M at fault. I was instantly reminded of the gap insurance that I declined. How stupid.

Will I have to ride the bus to get to work now? Could I take a Ride-share? I may DRIVE a Ride-share, but this would be expensive to have to do twice a day. And I don’t have the money for another down payment to put on another vehicle. Should I consider postponing the wedding even though the invites have already gone out? Our out-of-State friends and relatives have already made their travel plans. Can we still afford our honeymoon? I’ve really messed things up.

How could things have turned out so badly, so fast? I should have pulled into a parking lot or that park up ahead for a quick twenty minute power nap. I’ve done it before, I should have done it again.

I’ve had a couple of close calls while “head bobbing” and even swerved out of my lane once or twice. I’m lucky though that I’ve never hit anything (or God forbid, any ONE).

And how do I tell my fiancé? I’ve mentioned to her before how hard it is for me to stay awake after work and she warned me “not to take chances” and that I should “pull over. This could really prove embarrassing. Could THIS even cause her to reconsider who she’s marrying? Nah, I doubt it, but it’s still embarrassing.

I hear a siren coming as I opened my eyes just in time to see a fire truck pass in front of me. And who’s that blaring their horn behind me? My light is green and now already some knucklehead is getting a little impatient.

“Wait. What the…? Did I doze off and then DREAM I dozed off?”

I quickly give my car some gas as my brain fog begins to lift with the rising sun. The radio hosts, Mike and “Stink”, are still saying their good mornings as they sign on. Wow, apparently it’s only been a hot minute since I stopped at the light. Elated, I’m feeling extremely fortunate because I’m getting a second chance.

I instantly realized my blessing as I hollered out, “HALLELUJAH!”

It seems I merely nodded off at the intersection. It was all just a short dream, no harm, no foul. And since I’m no longer willing to tempt fate, I turned around.

I’m tired, I’m going home.