The 4:30 Wake–up Call

Rain, rain, go away …

So, Mom and Dad headed out to Alexandria, Virginia, yesterday to see Amy.

Apparently, the weather report was not the best.

They checked in with us around 7ish in the evening and said they'd gone about six miles in an hour or something to that effect on I–495. Apparently, there was a lot of rain in the Washington, D.C. area yesterday and last night. We talked for a while and wished them luck.

Later, I was checking Twitter — yeah, I do that — and found out that I–495 (that's the interstate highway they were on) was closed in both directions in Fairfax County near Cameron Run. I spent about 10 or 15 minutes on the phone with Mom, trying to find Cameron Run, with little luck.

Google Maps was a tough sell, but I was relentless. Amy and I talked, and finally, I found out … Cameron Run was right by Alexandria. So, they hadn't avoided the closed interstate. They were driving right into it. 

I talked to Dad: "The good news is, we have half a banana, a nearly full tank of gas, and neither of us has to go to the bathroom."

Well, a couple hours and mile later, they ended up off of the highway and stopped at a Best Western to "rest." When they got back to the car, it wouldn't start. The battery was dead.

They checked in to the Best Western. This was around 10:30 or so.

My phone rang at 4:30 a.m. It was Dad. I answered. He hung up.

"I guess he must have accidentally called," I muttered half–asleep to Lori.

It rang again. Twice.

I answered. I've watched CSI, Criminal Minds, and other shows enough to know that Dad was fixing the car when a couple thugs arrived and he was trying to let me know. He wasn't on the phone, though. But that was good thinking. I'll call Mom and let her know.

I called Mom's number. Dad answered. "What's up?" he said.

Duh? You're getting beaten by thugs, I though. "Well, I want to make sure everything's OK."

"Rick, we're still sleeping." (Um, so were we Dad, but that didn't stop you from calling ...)

"Well, you called me two or three times. I thought something was wrong."

"I never called. Oh (darn). My phone is soaking wet. I put it by the thing of ice we got and it melted. I don't know why it called you. I wonder who else it called …"

He said he was shutting it off.

It called again at almost 5 a.m. I decided that nothing was wrong. They're just in a room with a Poltergeist. They'll be fine …