But the tots were delicious (at least that’s what I heard)

Last Thursday night P and I watched the weather because it’s what we do. We even record the 6:00 evening news on the DVR specifically to watch the weather forecast so that we can watch it again on the 10:00 news and see if the forecast is the same as it was four hours earlier. The phrase you’re looking for is BIG NERDS.

But nothing really makes us happier than the opportunity to mock the weatherman. Which is why we were so happy when Thursday’s forecast (at both 6 and 10 o’clock) called for rain sometime between Friday and Tuesday. There is no other profession in the world that allows you to be that completely and totally vague.

“We project that fourth quarter earnings will be somewhere between four and sixty percent.”

So it should have come as no surprise that it was pouring down rain when we woke up Friday morning and continued to rain all day long. And it should come as even less as a surprise that I chose to spend most of the day curled up on the couch taking a nap. It was delightful. There was even thunder and lightning which, combined with torrential rain, is the weather trifecta for a big wanna be meteorologist nerd like myself.

And that’s the most exciting thing I have to report from the weekend.

Except for a little incident at Sonic on Sunday afternoon.

Y’all know I love the Sonic. I do. I love the Sonic.

After church on Sunday Caroline wanted to go swim at Mimi and Bops’ house even though it was completely cloudy outside and the pool was somewhere between I-would-rather-die and are-you-insane degrees. We called Gulley to see if Jackson wanted to join Caroline in her attempt to become a member of the Polar Bear Club and he said yes because kids are completely immune to things like frigid temperatures and the fact that swimming is more enjoyable when there is actually sunlight.

So I told Gulley we’d come pick him up right after we made an emergency stop at Sonic because I was completely out of Diet Coke. (Yes. I know I quit Diet Coke about a year ago. But sometimes a girl needs a Diet Coke. I try to practice moderation.) Caroline wanted a cherry slush, Jackson requested that we get him a Dr. Pepper and I decided to order some tater tots with a side of mozzarella sticks. For the children. I’m always thinking of the children.

I pulled up to the window to pay and swiped my debit card through that little debit card thing. The guy handed me our order and then asked me if the debit card thing showed that the purchase was approved. I told him it didn’t show anything, so he asked for my card and said he’d run it through himself.

Eight minutes later ( I KID YOU NOT BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THE CLOCK IN MY CAR) he still had my debit card and had offered no explanation as to what was going on. Finally, he slid open the window and said, “Our credit card machine is down. I’m going to need you to pull over to the side and wait until it starts working again.”

“Umm. Do you have any idea when that’s going to be?”

“No, I have no idea. But I need you to pull over to the side and wait.”

“Okay, here’s the thing. I have somewhere I’m supposed to be. I can’t just wait here indefinitely until you get your credit card machine to work.”

(Granted, I don’t know that the pool at Mimi and Bops’ house really counts as somewhere I have to be. But I wasn’t entirely sure that the credit card machine wasn’t like the rain forecast and it might work anytime between now and next Thursday.)

“Well, do you have cash?”

“No. I don’t have cash because that’s what my debit card is for.”

(I figured he didn’t need to hear my entire history with cash and how I don’t really trust myself to carry cash because it disappears and I can’t account for its whereabouts.)

(P, I’m not talking about a lot of money. Just $15.00)

“You’re just going to have to wait.”

So in my sweetest voice I said, “Yeah, I’m going to need to talk to someone about another option because, as much as I love Sonic, I can’t really sit in your parking lot all day.”

Finally a manager appeared at the window and told me not to worry about it. They’d comp the charges. I explained that wasn’t really necessary because I visit the Sonic anywhere between two and six times a week and would be happy to pay them the money at my next visit. He said that would be fine and we drove away.

Caroline said, “Mama, why did he try to make us wait?”

“Well, because their machine is broken and they wanted us to wait until it was fixed.”

She said, “They must have not known you have an IMPATIENT GIRL in the back seat. I think they’re crazy.”

Exactly.

But now I feel like I have to make time to go back to Sonic later today and give them the five dollars I owe them. And maybe order some tater tots while I’m there as a way to say thank you for not making me wait in the parking lot yesterday.

Purely unselfish reasons that have nothing at all to do with the delicious crispiness of the Sonic tater tot.