Gangsta Gramma

I woke up today to a bitterly cold morning.  Our thermometer read 10 degrees below zero, and it didn’t budge after the sun came up.  My plan was to stay in this morning.  I pictured a nice, long, warm bath. 

I was still in my flannel PJs, fuzzy robe and cozy socks, when the phone rang.  One of my daughters, feeling ill, had gone to an urgent care bright and early and been diagnosed with an ear infection.  The reason for her call was a total lack of money to put gas in her car and buy tissues for her runny nose.  She wanted me to meet her in 15 minutes at a convenience store a little over a mile from our house and provide her with the funds.  I was annoyed.  I did NOT want to go out in the cold and agreed to do so grudgingly.

Obviously, there was no time for a shower.  I knew I needed to bundle up, so I pulled out a pair of long underwear.  What I grabbed were a pair of men’s long underwear, but I wasn’t in the mood to worry about that, beyond the fleeting thought that maybe I would be in an accident and have to go to the hospital in men’s undies.  I put on sweatpants and a sweat shirt.  No time for earrings or make-up….I just rubbed on some moisturizer to protect my skin from the cold.  I wrapped a scarf around my neck, pulled on my high snow-shoveling boots instead of dress boots, and finished off the ensemble with a knit cap pulled down as far as I could over my ears and forehead.  My hair was a disheveled mess, so the cap was doing dual duty for cover-up and warmth.

As I drove the car out of the garage into the brilliant sun, I took off my normal glasses and put on my prescription sunglasses.  I noted that the temperature in the garage read 17 degrees, and as I pulled away from the house, the temperature sank lower and lower….eventually down to six degrees below zero.

I had been muttering to myself on the way out the door, because I had left a message for someone to call me this morning with some information I needed.  I feared she would call while I was out, and she did.  My cell phone rang.  I did my best to remember the list of questions I had planned to ask her.  I arrived at the gas station shortly after the call and noticed my daughter’s car was already there.  I was sufficiently distracted by all of this, that I pulled my car up on the wrong side of the pump.  I knew I needed gas before giving my brother a ride to the doctor’s office today and had decided that as long as I was dragged out in the cold, I would get gas at the same time.

After giving my daughter what she needed, I pulled my car to the other side of the pump.  While doing this, I noticed a teenage boy running down the sidewalk, as fast as he could go.  I assumed he was headed for the high school which was only about 500 feet away.  It did occur to me that the school system was on a 2 hour delay because of the frigid temperatures, and that he was going to get there quite early.  No buses were unloading yet.  But, I was more interested in pumping my gas and getting someplace warm again.  Just taking my gloves off to push the buttons on the pump was painful.

After gassing up the car, I headed home.  About a half mile down the road, I saw the same teenage boy, but now walking and looking like he was freezing.  I then realized that he was not headed to the public high school, but to the Catholic high school….and he still had half a mile to go. I pulled over to the curb, rolled down the window and asked him if he wanted a ride.  He looked startled and like he wasn’t sure if he should get in the car with me.  Of course, I’m thinking that I look like my usual sweet little old lady self…..make-up, earrings, hair in place, cute red felt hat with sparkles on it.  Uh-oh….I am disheveled, no make-up, knit cap pulled down as far as possible and sunglasses hiding my kind eyes………..GANGSTA GRAMMA!

Apparently he was willing to risk it.  He hopped over the snow bank and slid in the car.  He never did put his seatbelt on, so maybe he was prepared for a hasty exit.  He had on light weight slacks, and I’m guessing no long undies for warmth.  He was NOT wearing either a hat or gloves and his jacket did not look especially warm.  I tried to put him at ease by chattering about the fact that I used to teach at the Catholic high school….hmmm….let’s see…that was 45 years ago.  I dropped him off wondering to myself if he would be able to get a ride home with someone. 

Later, while enjoying that warm bath I had planned, I pondered the incident.  I decided that I should not have been annoyed with having to go out in the cold.  I was supposed to give that poor freezing kid a ride.