It was a typical fall day in Dallas, warm and sunny. Sitting in the grandchild's car pool line was not unusual. We'd done it many times before waiting for the bell to ring and all those kiddos bursting from their halls of ivy to the great outdoors, ready to be done with books for the day.
The organization of the carpool line is a sight to behold. Only Chick-fil-A's plan to get people and cars through a line in a short amount of time can compare with this one.
The large parking lot is sectioned off into painted lines, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. The first car to arrive gives their child's number to the policeman with the clipboard and proceeds on to the beginning of line 1. Parents and grandparents, cousins and nannies follow suite and pretty soon cars are lined up and it looks like the lot of an Enterprise Car Rental at the airport at Thanksgiving, waiting for weary travelers to pick one. Everyone is locked into their spot, no movement possible until Car number 1 makes it's exit.
Cars were stacked one behind another, behind another, behind another on this particular day. Motors were turned off and everyone settled into wait for the closing school bell. The sun was shining brightly through the car windows making for a quiet, warm comfy wait.
We were about car number 10 in row number 1.
It was quiet, warm, sunny, and extremely relaxing.
AND WE BOTH FELL ASLEEP. Yes, the Grandparents in car number 10 were sound asleep, for maybe 25-20 minutes.
Suddenly there was a knock on the window. The HEADMASTER of the school, tapped lightly...."time to go." Honeybuns jerked awake, started the motor and looked up. ALL NINE CARS IN FRONT OF US WERE GONE. ALL 50 PLUS CARS BEHIND US WERE WAIITNG, STUCK...IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO MOVE UNTIL WE DID.
No cars were in front of us. All drivers ahead of us had picked up their children and were probably on their way to the ice cream store.
We pulled forward, rounded the corner and there stood Betsy, age 9, on tippy toes, straining to see if she could figure out why NO CARS WERE MOVING, THE PICK UP LANE WAS EMPTY. Where was everybody?
We pulled up to her and she jumped in. "What happened?"
"Oh, Betsy. BeBe and Papa fell ASLEEP IN THE CARPOOL LINE!"
"WHAT? Oh, NO! How embarrassing!" very animated!
The unbelief was shared with siblings at the house.
We all laughed uncontrollably and realized, this won't be the last time we will embarrass the young whippersnappers. The gaff won't be intentional, but it will still be inevitable. That's the way families with grandparents roll. Comic relief! It's our job, right?
