Death race and my pants fell down

Well, my pants fell off when I was running across a busy street, today. 

I went to bed early and got up around 7.  I had a pretty bad headache so I took something.  I got on the computer for a little bit to distract myself, while I let the medication work. 

Then I took my shower, and did my God Time.  When I finished it was about 10.  I forgot I put my backpack on Ron's wheelchair, I wanted to take it with me.  I thought it was at work.  Instead, I took a plastic bag with some water, headache pills, a New Testament, 4 bags of Driver Candy, and a scripture booklet.  I also had my $20 (ten years ago!) MP3 player and some headphones. 

I walked to the bus stop.  It's not far and it was a nice day, warm, overcast, humid, and windy.  I waited maybe 10 minutes and decided to read my booklet, and the bus came.  I rode to the transit center.  Then I had to wait on the #6 to get to work.  It came, eventually.  I was glad I had a place to sit.  I read my booklet and another gal was reading over my shoulder.  I should have given her the booklet!  She told me the bus was coming and I boarded. 

All the drivers were totally shocked to get the candy.  The average passenger doesn't even say "Please" or "Thank you".  Hopefully they will read the booklet and come to Jesus.  That's the prayer, at any rate. 

Boy, if everyone who got Driver Candy (candy with a scripture booklet) got saved, there'd be a lot of people saying Hi to me, in Heaven. 

Anyway, we got close, and there.  I rang the bell.  The driver stopped.  "Are you sure you want to get off here?"  I told him yes, work was that way, and I pointed at the plant.  He let me off.  Work is in an exceptionally bad neighborhood.  So bad, if it had a median, I would be doing Handouts there.  Not on work property, of course, but public. 

Anyway, I was at the light.  I pushed the button.  It's about 6 lanes wide.  People drive crazy on this street, it's where Ron got run over (not where I was, about a mile up the road).  People drive at least 50 mph, on a regular basis, there. 

It's like a death race, getting across the street.  I bolted and my pants fell down to my knees.  Thank God my performance t-shirt ($6, last year, from Walmart), has a long hem and covered my naughty bits.  I yanked my pants back up, and held them in place, while I ran the rest of the way. 

I switched out my bus pass and employee ID badge.  I give out a lot on the internet, including my full name, but I will not wear my Heather, middle initial, last name badge with the work location printed on it in big letters, and a logo, out in public if I can help it.  I put my ID in front of the bus pass I had used to "hide" it. 

I went in and stocked.  It was nice to work without Ron interrupting me, although I still had plenty of customers interrupting me.  I got it all done in about two and a half hours, including doing an inventory and getting our monthly "odometer" totals. 

I went out to the bus stop, early, I felt, but you never know.  I forgot to put my bus pass back in front of my ID badge.  I fixed it later. 

And about 3 minutes later the bus came.  It was about 20 minutes late, she had a wheelchair and a guy on a walker.  I had planned on getting the next bus, but I sure wouldn't complain.  I boarded and gave her the candy. 

The lady in the wheelchair got off pretty quick.  The guy with the walker rode to the end of the line, like I did. 

All the buses I rode were very busy, which is great, considering it was the middle of the day, generally not considered "peak hours" for transit.  If a lot of people are riding, they will keep, or expand, the service available.  And never forget I am *on the bus*.  I'm not rich, I can't afford to take cabs everywhere. 

The rides were great, nothing bad.  A guy who looked like Thi'sl, the gospel rapper, bumped my leg and apologized.  I told him I was fine (I was). 

When I got back to the transit center, I decided to get some lunch.  A late lunch.  I hadn't had much of an appetite earlier, with the headache.  I walked over to the McDonald's.  The transit center is within easy walking distance of 3 fast food places.  I had to run across another busy street, twice, so I held my pants up. 

I ate, finished my shake, and walked back to the bus stop.  It wasn't a bad wait but my head was bothering me again.  More disturbing, I was getting little wavy lines on the edge of my vision, a migraine aura.  I got out the headache pills and took a dose.  I drank most of my diet soda. 

The bus pulled up.  I told her I assumed she was getting a break.  She said yes, and asked me if I wanted that bus.  I said yes.  She told me to board and wait while she took her break.  Again, total shock at the candy.  Is no one nice to the bus driver? 

She got off and had a smoke, poor thing.  She got back on and I had the bus to myself for a few minutes.  When she hit Greens road, though, wow, everyone got on. 

Good, lots of people riding is a VERY good thing.  Thi'sl bumped my leg and we were all very polite about it. 

I kept thinking about 2 things: one, if I had a theme song for the Bible Handouts, a music video playing with me handing out Bibles, what would it be?  I was listening to my music, a lot of very good songs, but none I felt was THE one.  No, not the song "Crazy". 

Then I got to thinking about the Gospel rapper FOE.  We are Facebook friends.  Occasionally he goes out to housing projects and does outreach.  Next time he goes to Haverstock hills (cab drivers won't even go there, it's so bad), I would love to set up a table with the sign, in English and Spanish, spread Bibles out all over the table, and people help themselves.  I think it would be a lot of fun.  But I would need more Bibles, so he would have to give me advance notice so I could buy as many as possible.  AND I would probably need a ride.  A lot of logistics. 

I need to pray on that. 

We got to my stop and I told the driver how I ended up with Biscuit.  Getting kicked in the head, "You get rid of it or I will" and I took him.  Now he's fat and happy.  I got off. 

I saw the same work truck parked in front of a house, it had been there when I left.  They had a compressor box in the driveway, and something that was clearly an air-conditioner component.  Ouch.  That's going to be expensive.  We got quoted between $5-7K for a new A/C, but it would come with new duct work.  And we have a little house! 

A little side note about our neighborhood.  The average home is between 1,200 to 3,000 square feet.  Our house is only 900 square feet.  So that bigger house is going to be paying on the air conditioner for a while. 

Nobody barked at me, I didn't see anything but a few birds.  I checked the mail, it had come.  A nasty letter from the homeowner's association about the trim on the front of the house - which - I admit - needs repair.  But we have enough on our plates right now, you know?   Greg has to come out anyway and repair the shelf in the catio, and I would like him to hang a horizontal blind in Ron's room, so he has privacy.  Not that Ron cares.  He says let them look at me naked! 

But the yard guys don't need an eyeful of Ron scratching his man parts, when they come by. 

I braced myself before I opened the door.  That's the bad thing about loving an addict.  If you leave them at home and go out, you have no idea what you will find when you come home.  Bleeding on the floor?  Having a blackout?  Passed out?  A long trail of blood going to the bedroom?  Having destroyed something?  It's a crapshoot and let me tell you, imagination runs wild. 

When Eric and I got some dinner about a month ago, we left a very drunk Ron on the floor at home.  When we came back, I told Eric "I don't know what I'm going to find when I open this door" and braced myself before I unlocked it. 

I found Ron in the bedroom.  He had texted me and asked me to get him a hamburger, when I told him I was going to McDonald's and would get him something. 

I gave him the hamburger and he ate it.  He was pretty mellow, he said he had spent the day in bed, with Torbie.  I wasn't sure how I felt about Torbie cheating on me with Ron, but I gave her a pet.  She is sleeping by my foot now. 

I need to clean the litter boxes before I go to bed, and take out the trash. 

But, for the first time in 14 years, I went to work by myself, both ways, on the bus.  It cost me about $1-2 dollars.  A cab ride would have cost me about $50 if I was a cheap tipper, and I paid Chuck $20 each way for the trips we took when Ron had his back surgery.  The bus is a bargain. 

I need to foster my independence.  I may be "stuck" on the bus but I can sure use it more often. 

Ron called me into the back room just now, he doesn't want to go to Walmart tomorrow.  He gave me "cab fare" for today, which I never spent and is still in my back pocket.  So I can use some of that to pay my way, each way. 

It's not bad.  It's paid.  And I can take as long as I want.  Clearly I need new pants, so I need to try them on.  It's been a while since I had some pants that fit.  The clothing manufacturers are doing this "generous fit" cut for the plus sized, which is really one size bigger than the one on the label.   It's very annoying for people, like me, who want true sizes.  Give me a 24 already.  Or I will be forced to go buy a 22 that is really a 24.  Ugh. 

I just want to buy something off the rack, that is not overly expensive.  The cats like to flex their claws in my clothes, snagging them, so nothing too precious.  Just something nice and basic that won't get me mugged on my next Bible Handout.  Something modest.  But appropriate for the weather. 

I don't want much, do I?