I was already “having a Monday”. It was the kind of Monday where it’s cold and raining, and I had to muster up as much get up and go as I could to make it through the day, topped off with the mother of all tantrums from E.B. while taking him to school this morning (and all over a Pop Tart, might I add).

And that? Was just my morning.

I was relieved when it was time to leave work and go pick up E.B. from school so we could go home and relax before I had to tackle the nightly chores. I had made it through another day! The rest of the afternoon/night was smooth sailing!

And then? My car went dead in the carpool line. And not just anywhere in the carpool line. Oh, heavens no! How about right at the front door where the children come out…where there’s a covered driveway so nobody has to get wet on rainy days like this. Why, let’s block the whole front part there and make everyone have to back up, go around, and watch their little darlings get wet as they sprint out to the cars. And the teachers walking the little ones to their cars? Get them wet, too!! It’s a non-cranking dead battery 14-year-old hooptie-car free for all!

And the looks. They alternated somewhere in between…”Glad that’s not ME!”, “UGH! The NERVE of HER!! (complete with eye rolls as she sped off in her luxury SUV)”, genuine sympathy (very few of these looks), and rubber-necking stares. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die because I knew the inconvenience I was causing, and there was nothing I could do but call my Dad (who will be referred to on this blog as Super Dad from here on out).

As E.B. got situated in the car, he demanded that I “Go!!”. I told him the battery was dead. The child started crying as if I had told him a person had died, and at that point, I could have very easily joined him in the cry-fest because the day was shot entirely.

My amazing Dad showed up immediately and got us going again. By that time, carpool timewas over, so at least I could do the “drive of shame” out of the parking lot in private. I had turned the car off in an effort to try and conserve gas while waiting in line, but I guess I left the lights on during that time. Lesson learned.