The Living Nightmare

Imagine:

You are sitting in stop and go traffic, no exit in sight, stuck in the left lane, a 3 month old screaming in your ear. You think to yourself, do I pull over to the side of the road? No, that might not be safe; do I pull her out of the car seat and put her in my lap? No, that would be against the law. Do I run screaming from the car? No, though that sounds very inviting at the moment, it is not an option for a mother. Sound like a nightmare?! Well, for me it was my reality, a living nightmare! I, the insane mother of 3, attempted a 3 hour drive to visit family. Paul was bringing his woman home to meet all of us, and I wanted to be there; I dreaded traveling with the 3 hoodlums, but I also dreaded the thought of staying home with 3 children while Rich was away at scout camp. As I sat in traffic, I couldn't decide if I had picked the lesser of the two evils. I finally had some sweet soul take pity on us and let us over into the right lane, only to exit onto a road leading to nowhere. I pulled over beside someone's house to feed Emma, but I quickly decided that it was not a good idea; I took off back down the road and pulled into an industrial park, where I fruitlessly attempted to get my mama on the phone. I was hoping she could tell me that this road to nowhere led to a shortcut to get to her house. After 3 failed attempts, and a weird man walking towards the van, I decided to brave the highway again; luckily and sadly, little Emma had cried herself to sleep. To spare you from any more details from my living nightmare, after 5 hours we arrived safe and sound, maybe not mentally sound though.