My Drive Home

My Drive Home

By Lindsay

I had a decent day at work today in Dubai. Not too stressful but not too slow. Just got things done as one at work usually does. I left the office at my usual time to head home to Abu Dhabi. So I made my way across the street. The fun of crossing the street (as some of you who have stopped by know) is that it s quite similar to an obstacle course where one needs to dodge heavy equipment, ditches and cars all at the same time. Really it's just pain good fun. Oh and I do this in high heels might i add.

I finally made it through the battle field, oops, I mean street, to my car. I spend nearly 10 minutes trying to back out of the parking spot because a little white civic parked illegally behind me. Either side of me were two SUV's parked in just a way that I was squeezed in the middle with out much room to maneuver. Now the fun (if you will) of the civic's faux parking spot was that it was just far enough to give me hope that I could eventually get out but just close enough (especially considering the cars on both sides of me) that I actually couldn't get out unless I wanted to add some customized body work to my, his or probably both cars. I was about to key or rather leave, a kind note on his car when he came strolling out to his car where he proceeded to slowly get in. This may surprise some of you but it occurred to me to voice (yell, scream, shout) my unhappiness with his parking space but I thought that I was perhaps not in the best frame of mind to do this in a civilized manner and I really wanted to go home.

I finally get on to the road (whew). I turn up the radio and start to relax. Now I can just GO HOME. Oh wait, I need gas. Yup as I have to do every other day, I needed to stop for gas. I of course head for my favorite petrol station where the guys all know what I want before I roll my window down... It's crowded when I get there so I wait patiently in line for my turn to come up. I'm in no rush and I can wait like everyone else. The first spot opens in the 2 car bay but my car wont fit between the two pumping cars in the back to get up to the front spot. Again I think "it's ok I can wait." But the guy in the white Landrover, he can't wait. He's VERY important so he drives around all the waiting people and backs into the front spot. :::sigh::: So at that precise moment the second car pumping in the line finishes up and is ready to go. "Yay!" I think to my self "now I can get my gas and go!" but White Landrover Guy has parked diagonally so that no one behind him can pass including the car who just finished up in the spot I want. Yes people, we all got to wait for White Landrover Guy! He's just THAT important.

I finally got my gas and started to head out of the gas station where I was promptly cut off by a Gold Landrover with his hazards on. Ok my fault for not seeing that one coming (not really but I'm trying not to explode in my car) so I head for the highway where I start making the drive home. Fortunately outside of a little high beam assault (where the guy behind you flashes his high beams at you until you move wether you can safely move or not) the drive was quite smooth.

At least it was smooth until I got to the exit for my house. I took the turn trying not to get squished by a semi, but I'm use to this so no prob. I head straight and that's when I see a bus transporting laborors on the side of the road. "huh" i think to my self, "i wonder why they are standing so weird facing the road?" That's when I figured out that these men, GROWN MEN were relieving them selves FACING THE ROAD!!!! Seriously?? This was the best place they could find??? They couldn't go behind the bus or better behind the building that they were parked next too?!?!?! Thankfully I didn't see anything that made me want to poke my eyes out with the bic pen I keep in my purse. I just looked forward and sped away.

I take the next turn where I'm nearly side swiped by a car because I'm not going over the speed bump fast enough for him. He nearly hits a guy on his bike but that doesn't seem to slow him down. Nope. It would be the bike's fault if he got in the way of the ginormous SUV driving on the wrong side of the road, not the SUV driver's fault.

At this point I'm exhausted. I finally make it home with out further incident, but it's the United Arab Emirates and that's an accomplishment in it's self. I parked and dragged my self into the house where I have been doing some knitting therapy working on my February Lady Sweater ever since.

True story people. I had to share because it's too unreal to believe to those of you living far far away... and for those of you living here, I thought it would be nice to commiserate with someone.

The moral of my story is that you can either laugh or cry and sometimes choose to shout. Today I laugh!

The End.