Adult and Battery

By the time this hits the Blogosphere, Hick and I will be halfway back home from visiting The Pony in Oklahoma. It's not like The Pony's change of plans was a hardship for us. It got me out of cooking a holiday meal, gave Hick an opportunity to sweave while holding me captive, and allowed us to stay in free rooms while using a casino as home base. The only issue was, perhaps, the timing of this decision.

Planning for a Thanksgiving dinner at home, and a trip to meet The Pony halfway, is quite different from not cooking at home, and spending three days away from home. At least I hadn't bought the groceries yet. But still, we had to pack, throw together some Pony treats, book a room, and gas up A-Cad.

Therein lies a bone of contention. Hick likes to think of himself as a master trip-planner. He will state a departure time, load the car the night before, roll out of bed and into his clothes, and sit behind the wheel, working himself into a fit of pique, while others gather their last-minute items and wheel luggage out the door for loading, sliding into the seat at the departure time. On the dot.

The boys and I have learned this over the years. It does no good to ask what time we're REALLY supposed to leave. No matter what the stated time, Hick rushes out fifteen minutes early, and acts like anyone coming after him is a fly in the ointment. To get ready 15 minutes early and join him muddles up the itinerary, and we arrive places before lunch is served, before check-in time, before a shop is open.

For all his pre-preparations, Hick never seems to have a full tank of gas in A-Cad. I've mentioned this many times (yes, I understand that's hard for you to believe that meek and soft-spoken Val would dare to question Hick's methods). We always have to stop in town, a mere 10 minutes away from home, to gas up A-Cad at Casey's. It doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes, what with Hick puttering around inside to buy donuts and a candy bar and DIET soda. He's not supposed to have donuts and a candy bar. I guess the thinks that on a trip, diabetes also takes a holiday.

Anyhoo...this always happens, and it sets my teeth on edge. If we're going, we're going. Not stopping five miles down the road for provisions. Even when Hick has taken A-Cad to an auction without me knowing it (heh, heh, that's what HE thinks), he still brings A-Cad home, driving right past Casey's, when he could have already gassed up.

Thinking I would outsmart him on this last-minute excursion, I calculated a deception.

"Hey. Since I'm still not feeling well, do you think you could go to Walmart with me Monday morning, to get some things for The Pony?"

"Sure. I always volunteer to go shopping with you, but for some reason you don't want me to. I'll drive you."

"Why don't we take A-Cad? That way, the stuff will already be in the car, and we can fill up with gas on our way home, so it will be ready Tuesday morning."

"Okay. If that's what you want."

Wow. That was easier than I imagined! Hick said we'd go around 11:00, because he was getting dog food and mini-pony and goat food, then picking up medicine. Fine with me. I had my time schedule planned out to be ready at 11:00. I sent Hick a text that I was up and would be set to go at 11:00.

"Good thing I took the car this morning battery was dead. I took it to Mick the Mechanic [it's like Hick has to keep a mechanic on retainer] and got a new one. Getting medicine now."

"Which car?"

"The Acadia."

"That doesn't seem right. I guess you left the Garmin plugged in too much. How many hundreds will that cost?"

"Glad you wanted me to get it gassed up. $205.85 on the debit card. Better today than when we were getting ready to leave tomorrow."

Yeah. Well. There's that. I guess I'll let Hick off the hook for being so childish as to DISOBEY MY COMMAND to drive A-Cad to Walmart and get gas then. The main goal was accomplished, but Hick had to make it into HIS plan, not mine.