Before the sun had a chance to shine, my cousin Julie, woke me up saying, "Corey, I thought yesterday was today!" I looked at her through my sleepy eyes and said, "I’m thinking it is still night-time. What are you talking about?"
Julie explained that she had her days mixed up. That her flight was leaving from Paris in a few hours. I rubbed my eyes, looked at the clock, and calculated the time. The airport in Marseilles is over an hour away, plus we had the morning rush traffic…and she had to find a connecting flight to Paris. It would be close but we might make it.
After a wild goose chase and a very expensive one-way ticket to California, Julie didn’t catch her flight and would leave a day later.
We decided to do some retail therapy.
Due to Julie’s oversize suitcases, I drove French husband’s car. Since I borrowed his car I thought I would wash it, and fill it up. Wouldn’t he be pleased! Julie and I acted like high school girls at the car wash, or maybe I should say I was goofing-off. When I went to put gas in the car, I forgot that it was French husband’s car and thinking it was mine, filled it with the wrong gas. Instead of diesel I put in regular.
On the freeway going home the car started spitting and sputtering. I screamed, "OH NO NO NO!" Hitting my forehead with the palm of my hand, I let out a few choice words… (more than a few actually.) I realized my mistake because it was not the first time I have put the wrong gas in the wrong car. French husband was going to be reassured of my flakiness, and have another reason to practice zen breathing.
I called our car insurance. When they heard my accent they assumed I was in the USA and connected me to a phone operator in the States. The operator asked what State I was in? I said, "The state of distress…" When she didn’t laugh I added, "I am in France."
Confusion was the name of the day.
Seemingly hours later, due to evening rush traffic, the tow truck came.
Julie looked at me and we started to laugh. The day felt like a strange dream. It wasn’t funny, but we refused to let it get to us. The bottom line was we were okay. Money lost but nothing more.
Photos: Old toys spotted at the French flea market.
Note: Julie caught her flight this morning, and French husband is draining the car and wishing he was flying instead. I need to bake a cake for him, fill it with the right ingredient…a ton of chocolate.
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