Wet

Last night...was interesting. 

Tuesday nights this semester at 6 p.m., I take a Music Appreciation class at Tulsa Community College. Last night, we got out at 730. Right in the middle of the ridiculous storm. A walk downstairs to the door and look outside. The concept of walking to my car is just a joke. So, one of the other guys in the class and I spend about 15 minutes trying to find a way to get from building to building because we're both parked on the other side of the parking lot, maybe a football field length.

No luck. We just run. 

So, I run, wearing my thin slip on shoes, which are really not much thicker than socks, if at all thicker. At some points, the water is several inches deep. Finally, I make it to my car, completely soaked. 

I pull out of the school, was planning on going to go to Shades like usual, but decided to head home because of the storm. At 81st and Mingo, I'm in the turn lane to go south on Mingo, my windshield wiper breaks. Yikes. So I turn and manage to pull into McDonalds. As I'm pulling in and pull into a spot, my car loses all power. 

I call my parents. No response. I call many more times. No response. 

Finally, I get a call back, and my Dad reminds me that I should have replaced that windshield wiper, even though he fixed it once, because it wasn't strong enough. I told him that I couldn't walk to an auto parts store (very sarcastically). They were at Admiral and Yale, I believe, and could not come help. 

I thought, "I can fix it". 

I get out of my car as the rain is just pouring (pouring is an understatement) down. I try for about a half hour to fix my wiper, my cardigan not keeping me warm, but acting as a sponge. 

No luck. 

Plan B. I search through my car for duct tape or something so I could repair the wiper. None. 

Plan C. I grab a running shoe out of my back seat and take the lace off. I use the lace to tie the wiper together. I fail on the first attempt but come out successful on the second. 

Now I've been in the rain for about 30-45 minutes, but have become very accustomed to it. 

The power problem happens to my car quite often, so I know what to do, and open the hood and jiggle the battery cable and get power again. I start the car and turn on the now functioning, but shoe-laced, wiper, but I'm still afraid to break it so I keep the wiper on the lowest setting. 

I'm almost home, but I thought I deserved a drink from QT so I pull into the one at 81st and Memorial and walk in, literally dripping water on the floor, with my hair looking like I had just come out of the shower. The clerk stares at me, because I'm obviously soaking wet and the only one in the store. 

I walk up to the counter, put my drink down, pull out 3 soggy dollars and toss them his way. He then simply says:

"You been like...running around in the rain or something?"