Tons of Time

When I worked as a carpenter there was an iron clad rule.If you woke up to a drizzling rain you came to work in hopes it would soon abate. However,if it was pouring and the old man was snoring, just kidding didn't have one,you knew work was called and you had the day off. My daughter who was sixteen knew this as well. Without fail on these blessed occasions she would dawdle about till she missed the bus.The plan was to stay home as well which she snoockered me into a time or two. As the time for the bus approached she would busy herself with guaranteeing her younger brother was ready to board.Then she would linger in robe over her makeup.The whole time I would be calling out from my bed ,"Lisa ,do not miss that bus ".I got tons of time her response always. Which she judiciously squandered till there was none and the bus driver was laying on the horn.After waving him on she then had me to deal with as I had to leave a warm bed trudge out into pouring rain and drive her to school telling her one day I was really going to garb up and walk her to the school doors. Thinking it was an idle threat she paid this no mind. On one rain day in particular I came striding out Of my bedroom in brown ticking striped flannel P.j.s one work boot encrusted in mud and one white go go boot. Acting as though oblivious She begrudgingly dressed and we were on our way the couple of miles to the high school. When we pulled up I couldn't make me get out and lost that battle for keepsies.The real point to my story isn't that however. I had a bad habit of running my car bone dry.My daughter pointed out to me one time the E on the gauge did not stand for Ehhhh there's enough. I lived within a stone's throw of a station and Would have filled up that morning on the way to work but in my effort to put the fear of God and me into that eldest child of mine that viewed me as little more than a glorified sibling I forgot . No sooner had I pulled back onto the interstate After the drop off my little chevette gave one or two polite coughs and died. Imagine this.. Late fall,steady rain, a woman stomping unsteadily up the highway in miss matched boots .After going home and drying out then had to borrow a gas can and hike back to get my car home. When the bus arrived I clued miss Tons O' Time what had ensued since her drop off.Well ,she said, that's what you get for trying to embarrass me completely overlooking her role in the sequence of events. .........Glorified Sibling