The Super Trooper

I was going through some stuff the other night that I’d jammed into a drawer. Photos, invitations, little notes, ticket stubs … each one associated with a different one of my friends. Each one evoking a memory. I found myself pitying the rest of the world, the ones who don’t have friends like mine.

I felt that same twinge last night as I surveyed CD’s vehicle under the contractor's canopy at Lowe's. Her SUV was loaded. Gravel, mortar, sand and a 4x8 sheet of vinyl lattice. The latter was folded in half (fortunately, it’s very pliable) with the last foot barely clearing the head of her 5-year-old who was strapped into his booster seat.

In all, there were 14 bags of gravel, eight bags of sand, and four bags of mortar with a combined weight of nearly 1,400 pounds. (About 400 of that was in the trunk of the ‘Bird.) So here’s my friend, dragging her 5-year-old to a hardware store to help me haul stuff home. She was totally unfazed by it and little man was a trip. Cute as hell that one is.

I had a lot of obstacles in getting to meet up with her. First, I was slowed by traffic from nighttime construction. Then, just as I was getting near the store, I realized that not only did I not have much money on me, but that I had no driver’s license, check card, check book, credit card – nothing! (This occurred as I returned my phone to my purse, after calling CD to tell her that I was nearly there.) I had to turn right around and go all the way back home.

That produced more obstacles. The night construction caused me to detour and a road I took to get around it was blocked by an accident. So, to make matters worse, not only was CD doing me a favor -- on a school night and with a 5-year-old in tow -- she was standing around waiting on me to do it! Some friend I am.

Cruelty doesn't begin to describe what was inflicted on the kid at Lowe's. At first I think he thought I was joking as I rattled off my list. I couldn't help thinking though: Kid, all you have to do is load it. Save the pity for those of us who have to deal with it.

Pity for those like CD who had to entertain her boy while the stuff got loaded and then endure check-out from hell because I decided to try and be nice and let someone go ahead of me. And then she took yet another out-of-the-way route to my house to avoid the night construction, carting nearly a half-ton of materials and with a piece of lattice practically sitting on top of her 5-year-old's head. What an incredible super trooper. Yeah, everyone needs friends like this!

It was a joy to me when once everything was unloaded she got to see the walkway in person. (And she insisted on helping to unload everything, including my car.) It was fun to show her where that same pit we dug together in last week is now covered in bricks. And while she'd seen pictures on the blog, she couldn't very well walk barefoot on those -- but she could in person. And did.

Yeah, everyone needs friends like this. If you have some, be grateful. Very grateful. I know I am.