I have a secret. Promise not to tell? okay... I have a tendency to be a little over dramatic. Yup. It is true and that is not even the worst part.... I am also pretty selfish. It is gross but true. This combination of character traits contributed to a melt down of epic proportion last night. It had been a LONG week. It had already been a LONG day. I was tired. I was hungry (look out world) and the plans had been changed several times through the course of the day. The plan changing is my Achilles heel, it is my undoing every time. So the long and the short of it is I just lost my shit. My poor husband just didn't know what to do with his red faced, snotty nosed, bawling wife. So he told me to get dressed and he would take me for some food and we could spend some quality time together before he headed out for another night of do-gooderness (it is a word now!) manning the phone bank for Operation Red Nose. Reluctantly I agreed to be fed. (HA!) While we were at our friendly neighbourhood pub I was still blathering about not wanting to be left to fend for myself on a Saturday night when Gil started his tricky magic. He suggested I come with him for a little while, he just needed to stay until So and So arrived, then we could leave early. It likely wouldn't be long, then we could do something else...well the idea had merit but I felt guilty pulling him away from a commitment he had already made. Then he tells me about all the goodies that they have to eat there. Well that might peak my interest a little. Then he lays the big one on me.... They have a big screen TV and cable! Oh temptress thy name is TV! "Okay, I will go hang out with you for a while since it will only be for a very short time and they will be TV and munchies." My husband knows me WAY too well. So we get there and there are LOTS of volunteer drivers and navigators milling about waiting to be sent off into the cold and snowy night, but something is amiss. Shortly after Gil has given me the grand tour (this place is SWANK!) it becomes clear that they are in dire need of some help on the phones. Several people have not shown up for this job and it looked like just Gil and one other very lovely , very stressed out lady would be running the whole dispatch show, on one of the busiest nights of the year. Well that is not cool. I guess I could take a few calls. I mean, it is sort of what I do anyway. I am sure have guessed already how this ends. The night was mayhem. I spent most of the night on the phone with drunk people trying to interpret drunk speak into directions. I ended up staying there until well past 2am. I loved every friggin' moment of it. It was in fact one of the most fulfilling nights of my life. Thanks in part to me 87 people did not drink and drive last night. That makes my heart soar. Next time I hope it is more. Yup, I said next time. If they will have me I am heading back next weekend. 'Cause I have another secret that is no secret at all. I grew up with an alcoholic father and he liked to drink and drive... with me in the car. Thank god he never killed anyone but he could have so easily. I tried to stop him when I was a little girl but I was powerless. I know that most of the people who called us last night were not crazy drunks like my dad, I know most of them were good people who just wanted to have one more glass of wine. But if one person was saved last night because a drunk didn't get behind the wheel of a car then I have all my power back. I think my mother would be proud.
Oh by the way the big screen TV he lured me there with... I barely noticed it I was having so much fun. Thank you so much Gil. I love you.
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