I Got This

If you want excitement, betrayal, despair, chivalry and success all in one neat package, have I got a tale for you. 

We designated Saturday, the day before Valentine’s Day, as Denise’s arrival day from Orange County. This being our first together, plus the nature of long-distance romance created nice glow of anticipation. This plan was in place long before I got notification, that I was to be given the second Covid-19 vaccination on Friday. 

I emailed Dense that I would be in Santa Rosa to meet her 4:55PM flight, even though we both knew in advance that there could be side effects from the second vaccination the day after receiving it. Having experienced no side effects from the first vaccination except for a sore shoulder, I wasn’t skeered.

Having been given sage advice by Taylor to massage my shoulder where the needle had gone in, I did just that. We had to wait fifteen minutes before we could leave and then we had a forty-five minute ride home, so I just kept gently working that shoulder. 

As a result, when I woke up Saturday morning my shoulder was hardly sore at all and I felt no ill side effects from the vaccination. I had dressed in layers when I first got up and I kept both wood stoves stoked to make sure the house was plenty warm. I did nap during the day prior to setting off for Santa Rosa to pick up Denise, but I nap every day so I drew no conclusions.

I had informed Dee that I would be bringing the two dogs, Ellie Mae and Freddie the French bulldog. I put a dog blanket down on the back seat for the pups, got a water dish and some water together and fed the dogs before we left. Unfortunately, I forgot their leashes, which I realized at some point along the highway. I figured I would worry about that when I needed to. 

I was sailing along between Willits and Ukiah when I got a text message. Not one to try and walk and chew bubble gum at the same time, I pulled onto the shoulder of The 101 to see what was up. 

The text was succinct: “Don’t come to Santa Rosa; my flight has been cancelled.” I had already hung a u-banger across the highway and was headed north again when I got another text. I pulled off on the north off-ramp of Willits.

Denise had texted, “I can catch a plane to San Francisco and then Uber up to Santa Rosa. Can you still come and get me if I get in by 6:30?” My one-word response was, “DUDE!” only it came out, “DUD!” I sat there on that off-ramp and tried to figure it all out. I was looking at a two-hour delay at best down in ‘Rosa, and I had the two dogs with me-without leashes.

It was too much so I just phoned Denise. She sounded as cool as though she were reclining by the pool with a frosty Margarita in-hand. She said some things to me on the phone in calm and soothing tones, that she thought I might understand, but my brain had left the building. It was all kind of sad.

I said simply, “Tell me what you want me to do. I am past making a decision.”

“Come down to Santa Rosa and get me.” There, that was easy.

“Great success! I got this!” and I started up the car but instead of heading down to ‘Rosa, I drove to my son Ben’s spot, only a few minutes away. Arriving, I found he was not home so I called him and informed him of the airline’s betrayal of Denise. He told me he was five minutes away and would be right there. I stayed in the car with the heater going, as per my plan all along. I had been warned by multiple folks that chills were one of the side effects.

And of course, I couldn’t get out of the car with the dogs until I figured out a solution to the no-leash problem.

When he arrived Ben solved that by grabbing a tattered old leash that was handy and taking Ellie Mae into the house. I got out of the car at the same time, intending to snag Freddie, when a wave of cold hit me like an ice cream truck.

Chills racked my body as I maneuvered up the front steps and into the just-opened front door. The house was not much warmer than the outside air because Ben had not been there all day. I stood in the middle of the living room as spasms shook my entire body. I may have been more right than I thought when I said, “I got this!”

Ben had retrieved Freddie and closed the door behind him as he came into his house. Hitting the button that magically sent warm air circulating throughout the house, he came over to me. Grabbing a blanket from the sofa he started wrapping it around me while directing me to take a seat in the recliner part of the sofa.

Once situated, Ben proceeded to double up that blanket and tuck it around me on all sides. He assured me the heat was on and that the place would warm up quickly. 

“Listen, Dad. Why don’t I drive you to Santa Rosa to get Denise. I haven’t seen you since Christmas with all of the Covid stuff, and we can catch up.”

When I hemmed and hawed at the inconvenience to him, he added, “I was just leaving on my way up to your place to deliver a truck load of wood. I was going to hang out and see what’s up, but now we can do that on the way to Santa Rosa. Besides, it will give me a chance to get better acquainted with Denise.”

When he put it like that, I put all pretense of arguing aside, grateful for the helping hand at a critical junction. I just could not believe he was going to actually drive from Willits to Bell Springs, unload that truck and then drive all the way down to meet Denise’s plane at 6:30 in ‘Rosa, and then back to Willits.

Who is this guy? 

Believe it. When we pulled up in front of the terminal and texted Dee, she told us she was only four minutes away. It was half that. Independently of each other, one of us coming from Orange County and the other from Bell Springs Road, we met in Santa Rosa, arriving only two minutes apart.

I got out of the car to give Dee a hug and then repaired to the back seat, my blanket and my pups. It was a long ride home but at least I was warm and cozy and not experiencing any other possible Covid vaccination side effects.

If you tell me “Not all heroes wear capes” is a cliche, I will heartily agree. I’m just saying, Not all heroes wear capes.