"Why won't anything go my way?- my son exclaimed as he attempted to close the car door on the passenger side of our SUV. The passenger seat belt blocked the door from closing because he jumped out of the car too quickly and did not ensure the seat belt was clear of the door. He quickly freed the seat belt and slammed the door. Bingo! He disappeared into the restaurant in a flash. My precious son was already ½ hour late for work for the second time in a row. The anguish in his voice, filled with desperation and hopelessness, slapped me like a cold, wet wind from the North. Tears filled my eyes and my heart felt as if it were being ground into a thousand pieces. I wanted to grab my precious son, hold him in my arms and feel his breath on my neck. I wanted to tell him that "daddy would make it alright, that everything would be fine."" But I couldn't. I shouldn't. I wouldn't. And besides, he hadn't brushed his teeth again.
This seemingly innocuous event was the crown jewel of an already auspicious morning. As had happened countless times before, my precious son was not aroused by the interminable beep of his alarm clock. As had happened countless times before, a family member told my precious son that his alarm clock had gone off and that he was late for work. As had happened countless times before, a family member finally turned off the alarm clock so as to not infringe upon the serenity of other family members. As had happened countless times before, my precious son jumped up from his slumber and ran around the house like a screaming banshee. He woke me from my sleep and told me he needed a ride to work. He was already late! Out to the car we went and promptly began the fifteen minute ride to his work. Oops! As had happened the previous day, five minutes into the ride we had to return so my precious son could pick up his name tag, menus and a few of the other tools of his trade.
