Slip, slip, slip,sliding
Summed up:
I scratched the side of the blue (the nice one) van yesterday. Well, I didn't, a brick wall did, and it was all the snow's fault, but we obviously all know given the exact same circumstances, only not with me, but my husband in the car it would not have happened, so it must have been my fault in the end anyway.
The play-by-play:
I left the house in the morning to run some errands and visit a friend yesterday. It was raining, but by the time we returned several hours later it was snowing heavily. I always think it's funny how people here freak out at the prospect of precipitation, they always call it a "snow storm", it's never just snowing. Yesterday though I guess I could see their point. The temperature fell so fast that the rain on the ground turned to ice and was then covered with brand new slippery snow... all of this took place on the very steep driveway to our townhouse complex as well and after confidently turning onto it from the road I only went about 10 yards up and then was stuck. I could not drive up! Neither could most of the cars following me. It was a funny sight at first, all of these cars trying to drive up, then going backwards to the road, trying to get some speed, try to drive up again... All the while it's snowing and snowing so hard and after I tried twice, I decided to give it one more shot and then call the complex owners. Well. I drive up and stop at about the same spot. The snow is barely 2 inches, but there is no traction whatsoever. I get the car into park but I keep moving, it is so slippery by that point that I can't even stop. The car slides and slides, while I try to get it under control and while Veronika is SCREAMING her lungs out in the backseat. She had no particular reason except for being tired and hungry and generally unhappy with me for not paying attention. I have to tell you, toddler screaming really gets to me. It hits some special place that immediately defuses any control I have over me and makes me want to SCREAM back to stop that noise. this. very. second. It's frightening and maddening, I don't know how to control it, but this scream... oh god, this scream. So anyway, there we have the car sliding backwards, grinding against the curb, then the screaming kid and then, as I'm leaving the car to enable an audible phone conversation with Lincoln, we have a car coming from the top of the very steep driveway, sliding towards me and the van. I break off the conversation and throw myself on the car, trying to hold up the car from crashing into mine! Ok, it was a small small car, but hey, I am STRONG! I hold up the car with my bare hands!
My car had come to a halt earlier already, because of that curb I mentioned. Only I still need to move out of the way. I can't drive up - that got me into the trouble in the first place, but I can't move down now either because the car is refusing to roll while rubbing against the curb. I move the wheel around and as I do, the front part of the car starts sliding to the right, so slowly my car is beginning to stand perpendicular to the road, which again encourages the sliding towards a low brick wall on the left, which is still high enough to scratch the back left side of the van down to the bare metal. Yeah, and the kid is still screaming. Two young guys from the small car I stopped with my bare hands get out and promise to help me get out of there. They push the van and I slide further to the right until I'm able to turn around completely. I drive off. MAD.
I called the complex office about 3 times after that, ready to yell and scream but I always ended up being nice. Why am I nice? They can't manage to clean the driveway on time so I wouldn't wreck my car. I should be livid. But here I am trying to be understanding. I'm so weak. So finally I decide to park by the driveway and wait for the snow plow the secretary promised. I wait and wait and wait. Veronika falls asleep in her carseat. Crap. I drive up one more time, slide down (scratchless this time) and then give up.
I ended up parking the car in some office parking right by our complex and then waking up Veronika, stuffing her into the carrier and climbing that driveway by foot. Like in ancient times. And this is America!
I confessed it all to the husband, who was sympathetic but I know he secretly firmly believes I failed somewhere along the way and had it been him, that failure would not have occurred because, well, he knows what to do in these types of situations and he doesn't lose it like I do. He is firm, clear-headed and certainly does not faint. Unfortunately you can't have the best people available at all times, so yo have to do with almost-good-enough like me and suck it up and pay for the damage later.
Sorry, baby. ;)
Posted at 02:55 PM on March 09, 2005
Oh, my, Dinka! What an ordeal. THIS is why I'm glad (at least during the winter) that I live in Texas. Sorry that your van got scratched. :( That stinks!