Don't react!

Note - this is along post, but there is no way to break up this story.

Karl Malden died yesterday. He had a long life, living to 97 years old. My sister said he knew he could go yesterday because our adventures yesterday took us all over the Streets of San Francisco.

There is no quick way to describe the events of yesterday. We moved my aunt, an endeavor that should have taken about 2.5 hours – but it took over six. We did not count on the boys being towed off the freeway in a malfunctioning truck or on the series of events that followed.

I thought I was so thorough. We were meeting at 10AM. Maggie was in school until 12:30. The nurse would meet the bus and I had a helper for the nurse for Maggie’s first scheduled treatments. I KNEW I could be home by the second treatments at 3:00. Not even close. I was just about to head home across town to assist, knowing I would have to turn around and come back my aunt’s apartment. Fortunately, Steve went by the house and called to see where I was and I told him to cover Maggie. He said fine, but asked, “So when are you coming home.” With Maggie in good hands, I did not have to worry and could only answer honestly, “I have NO idea.”

The boys, my son Tim and my nephew Vinny left the assisted living facility in the loaded down truck just a minute after I left with the loaded van. We were moving across town and the fastest way to do that is the freeway. I looked for them in my rearview as I drove on the freeway but was not too worried when I did not see them. If they missed the lights that I made they would be 5 miles behind me. I arrived and unloaded what I could without help. I made a couple of trips up the elevator to my aunt’s downtown “deluxe apartment in the sky.” My aunt was already there with my mom and my sister Joan, (Vinny’s mom.)
Joan was buying sandwiches for everyone to enjoy after the unloading was complete. When Tim called to tell me the truck had sputtered out and they were stuck on the freeway I ran into the store to find Joan who was at the checkout. As I told her the story I realized everyone in Safeway was listening and all were concerned. These two young guys are stuck in the middle of the freeway interchange on a divider with a truckload of furniture and traffic zipping by at 65mph. It was not a good scene. Tim did not have his AAA card with him. (arrgh) I called AAA, explained the situation and gave my AAA number. Since Tim in on my account, it was no problem. The truck would be there in a few minutes.

Joan, the most suburban of all my sisters, jumped in my mom’s car and went to find the boys. I’m not sure what exactly she was going to do when she found them, but I was relieved when she went. By the time she saw them the AAA driver was there and through various cell phones, we determined where they would be towed. As our (continuing bad) luck would have it, the driver chose a place in a rather rough neighborhood.

Joan called me as she was exiting the freeway near the garage and we had the following conversation:

J: where are you?
Me: back in the apartment with mom and A.M. (our name for our aunt)
J: Ok ... DO NOT REACT to what I am about to tell you!
Me: (heart sinking, trying to appear calm): oooo kkkaaayy
J. I am getting off the freeway and there is a mattress on the exit ramp.
Me: unnnhhhh
J: What are the chances that is NOT A.M.’s mattress?
Me: (small voice) almost none

She stayed on the phone as she pulled off the freeway. There she found herself in some dicey surroundings. Day laborers surrounded her car seeing if she had work and seedy looking characters were hanging out on the street. She was panicking as she looked for the kids. She was close but did not know exactly where they were. Suddenly she said, “I can see the truck but I only see a box spring in the back.”

My heart sunk farther. The truck was broken, the boys had gone from one dangerous situation to another and my aunt’s mattress was very likely lying on the side of the road. I was careful not to say anything, though because both my mom and my aunt were very interested in my conversation. I thought I was being cool, but realized I was leaning against the wall with my head and rubbing my face in a concerned manner. Because neither my mom nor my aunt is stupid, they knew SOMETHING was up.

Joan’s rapid fire commentary continued . “I see the truck, I see the boys. They are fine. I cannot see the mattress, though. I am stuck at the light and I think every single person I see has a gun. They all have guns!” (Note: she could not see any guns but this very gritty city scene was freaking out my suburban sis). “I’m waiting for the light to change, wait I can see YES! The mattress is on the truck!”

The mattress on the freeway was NOT my aunt’s after all. Perhaps the tide was turning.

She put the boys in my mom’s car and sent them to us. Tim dutifully drove to my aunt’s place but had no idea whose car he was in or why, but he was past asking questions. Meanwhile Joan and her husband, who had arrived from the pleasant land of suburbia, dealt with the truck. It needs an alternator – nothing major, but enough to confirm that furniture was not arriving anytime soon and it could not stay on the open bed of that truck in a tough neighborhood. Finally, they rented a u-haul truck, reloaded all the furniture and drove downtown to the apartment. They saved the day.

We finished quickly once they arrived. My aunt was appreciative and very happy to see us all get out of her apartment. Tim and I headed home in the van while my mom went home in her car. Joan and family headed back to return the rental truck and have their truck towed to her father in law’s house. (I learned in a phone call later in the evening that tow truck #2 broke down en route and the third tow truck of the day came on the scene. It went from the ridiculous to the sublime.)

Maggie slept the entire afternoon and didn't miss me a bit. Meanwhile, Vinny missed a dental appointment and had to give away his shift at work, I missed a meeting in the evening. Tim climbed in bed at 6:30PM and slept for a couple of hours. All of us needed a hot bath and a break from the insanity. But my aunt is back home.

RIP Karl, we have these streets covered.