Friday the Thirteenth

My wee little niece's tenth birthday party was scheduled for Friday the Thirteenth at the local water park.

Since I work at a school and have summers free I was designated that person that had to pick up two friends of my nieces, some ice, the cake and balloons, deliver all the kids to the water park and decorate the party room.

There was some concern about rain and the park closing. But my sister called and spoke to the manager that morning and was assured that they were staying open.

After yelling at the oldest niece to get her ass in the car and listening to her complain about having to do her makeup in the car (despite the fact that I woke her up a good three hours before we were leaving) we were finally on our way.

Kids got picked up.

Ice was bought.

Cake and balloons were picked up.

I was on my way to the water park when my sister called and told me that she had just called the park to see if they take check cards as she had forgotten her checkbook and she was informed that the park had closed three hours earlier.

I drove around aimlessly until I got another call directing me to a local pizza joint.

My niece asked me to stop at Wal-Mart (the bane of my existence) to get her some goody bags. And I spoil her rotten...so I did. Upon returning to the car (my sister's car since I was lugging around so many people) I saw a tire was flat.

The trunk of her car contains chairs, an inordinate amount of softball equipment, a skateboard, a spare tire and a jack. But no tire iron.

So there I am about to lose it in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

A friend came and got the girls, the cake and the balloons while I waited for my uncle to come save me.

Finally, on my way to eat some pizza. I had planned on switching vehicles with my sister and heading home but she needed someone to haul kids. So I got to stay and go to the mall and the movies with a bunch of ten-year-olds. I know, you're thinking "how lucky can one person get."

The movie is over and I am released from my obligations. The fourteen-year-old niece and I are heading home. We stop at a convenience store on the highway to get something to drink.

We get back in the truck (I have swapped vehicles with my sister at this point). And the truck won't start.

Obviously, I should not have left the house on Friday the Thirteenth.