Magical Monday - Help When Needed

Ok, it's Wednesday, so sue me. :) I think I can be forgiven for being a little late with the holidays and all.

Well, I'm not even going to get into all that has kept me away from the computer lately - suffice it to say life has been crazy for a couple of months.

An example would be what happened as I drove to work on the first day of my new job at a hospital in Chicago.

I'm cruising down the highway, trying to get to work before 7am since I'm supposed to be in two places at once at 7am (also long story) when suddenly a little voice inside says I should get off the road. I get off at the next exit, and start going the back roads, yet again, something inside says, "don't turn there, go this way" and I veer off my usual route. I have no explanation for this other than it was a strong feeling.

However, the road I ended up taking was a little scary. I'm on my way into Chicago, before daylight and taking the back roads in some rough neighborhoods when my car starts acting funny. I had passed the train station about a block or two before and think I should turn around and go back there.

However, there were no streets where I could turn around. The car started dying just as I'm in a dark area where I see a gang coming down the street. I'm thinking, "great, the car's going to die and so am I." At that point, I see a taxi and I'm begging my car to keep going long enough to follow it. It chokes, sputters and finally starts again - just long enough to follow the cab down the street to a gas station, where it gave up the ghost for good.

I asked the taxi driver if he could take a fare, but he seemed reluctant. It was getting late, and I was nearly in tears, because if I didn't make it to New Employee Orientation that day, I'd have to wait two more weeks to start, hence it would be another month before I got paid, and I just couldn't afford that.

Then a man walked up, helped me push the car out of the way (it was blocking traffic into the station) and asked where I was going. I told him where I was going, and he said he runs a shuttle service for people going to doctors' appointments and he was going right by there. Said he'd take me for free.

Somehow, I trusted him. Crazy, surely - even as I got in his van I wondered what the heck I was doing, but he was true to his word. He got me to work on time and for free, which was a good thing since once I got in the van I remembered that I had no cash and I had given Emily my credit card the day before, so I wouldn't have been able to pay for a cab anyway.

I thought about it later - if I hadn't gotten off the highway, if I hadn't changed my route, if I hadn't decided to try to follow that cab, I would have been seriously S.O.L. As it was, I felt someone was looking out for me.

I hope they stick around. I could use some more help. :)

So, how are the rest of you? How have the holidays been treating you?