Lost, alone and frightened on the highway

My second stint behind the wheel in this wonderful country had me helplessly lost on the highway, in a stalled car(out of gas/fuel), facing 40 degree temperatures, with a phone out of battery charge at 3:00 am in the morning. I prayed desperately. I sat there bewildered with God as my only hope but even He seemed to have forsaken me (or so I thought). A few cars whizzed past with such energy and speed, I could feel the car shake.
It was an almost ordinary day; I dropped Mich off to school, took Amani to a day care and headed off to an interview. We had a Christmas party that evening and Pat and Ed had happily agreed to look after my little people. Note: The party was in Maryland. Sam took the metro to work and suggested I stay with the car and join him later (since I was proving to be super road savvy).

Maryland is approximately 28 miles out - that on the highway with winding roads can be quite amaze for a first timer like myself. I dropped the kids off and started my journey. It was 5:30pm and it was already dark. I had my phone GPS and a rough idea of where I was going, so I was good. 3 quarters of the way there my battery begun to fail, I couldn’t call Sam because his phone battery was out. I drove into Maryland and stopped at the first gas station to ask for directions. The gentleman told me to head north, pass four traffic lights, turn right and I should be there. I followed his directions for the most part, I turned right and all I could see were shopping malls, petrol stations and busy night life.

I made a stop at a Staples store and asked the first guy I saw. He tried to Google the offices on his iphone but didn’t get very far so I asked a shop attendant who printed out a map for me. He mentioned all these places that didn’t register since I wasn’t from the area but I thought I would just follow the map.

Confession: I’m not good with maps period.

Confession ii: It’s hard to drive and read a map in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar area.

I tried to follow the directions but I was out of my depths. I gate crushed a community party and asked the bar attendant and yaay!!! He told me I was on the right track – one traffic light; make a left turn and viola!

It’s nearly 10:00pm; the likely hood that Sam was still waiting for me was almost zilch. Meanwhile it was the wrong office and they couldn’t assist me whatsoever; didn’t know any other office branches in the area, they couldn’t make any phone calls, I was sick to the stomach.

Obviously my kind friends (Pat and Ed) must have thought we had overly used their kindness to baby sit. It was nearly 11:00pm and I wasn’t able to make any calls, even if I had access to a phone, I didn’t have their number off the top of my head.

I drove to the nearest shopping mall, found a police lady who knew where the next offices were. She printed out more directions and at this point I wanted to scream. Mentioning that I was lost didn’t seem to register with anyone, I should have explained that it was my second time in Maryland, I had been in the country only 3 months and it was my second time behind the wheel by myself.

I try one more time to figure out the place but it’s absolute spaghetti. I was getting more intertwined. I was lost. I decide to try and find my way back home, to something more familiar. But that in itself was a problem. Should I head north, south, east or west????? I ended up in a rich neighborhood with nice houses and was tempted to knock on a door. The problem was, I was so shaken I would have burst out crying and then I imagined sirens going off, guns coming out and who knows what else.

12:00 Am. I’m exhausted, driving out on the highway, not sure whether I was coming or going. All four lanes on the highway are busy; I’m making every effort to stay in my lane. Once or twice there was a hoot. I thought, “let me just get to DC, I’m sure things will get clearer”. Then this guy on a motor bike follows me, every turn I made he was there, I thought, “The police have noted me and are tracking me down”, just at the point, he rode passed.

On the other front, Sam is worried sick, he has called the police to report a lost wife but they can’t do much; don’t know where to start the search. He takes the metro home, the house is stone cold, the kids are still at Pat’s. His heart sinks. He goes to check on the kids and solve a part of the mystery for the kind hosts. They pray, imagine the worst and call the police yet again.

Police man: Are you sure your wife is not at home?
Sam: Yes I’m sure.
(Police man drives home to verify then comes back)
Police man: Does your wife drink? Did you have a disagreement? Is she on drugs?
Sam: No

2:00am. I’m somewhere in the middle of DC, driving like mad, I pass a red light – that sobers me a bit, I slow down. My eyes are heavy, my stomach is empty, I have been on the road for 8 hours. Finally the routes start to make sense. All the while the numbers 495, 270, i95, 29, 66 are ringing in my head, I just don’t know which direction to go – this is absolute chaos! Those of you who know how to read maps are probably thinking “what the shamika was she up to???” well, I already said maps are not one of my strong points so there!

Along the way, I take yet another wrong turn that leads me into a town. Dead of night, hardly any cars on the road, then a police car drives behind me for a bit and I nearly stop, thinking again that they have noticed my erratic moves and are finally trapping me, and again they drive past. I stop at a gas station, find a police man who directs me onto Lee high way – “drive passed the next 5 traffic lights then make a left turn at …”

Back on the highway, not too sure which exit to take I end up on a toll road, I can’t make it through, I turn around, get back onto the highway and brrrrrrrr chkkkkkkk, the car has had enough. I was out of fuel. Each time I passed a gas station, I thought I would stop at the next; anyway, I basically took leave of my senses at some point. I felt drunk; my hands were getting numb, like I was in a zombie ish state. I had been praying so hard that when the car stopped, I almost had no emotion. It couldn’t get worse.
I sat, tried to restart the car but clearly after all that driving, what was I expecting? I put on my hazard lights and sighed. “God, now what?”
2 minutes later a car drove up behind me and stopped. I got out and walked towards them. 3 men stepped out and suddenly I was weak in the knees, I thought, this is the point at which they bundle me up and throw me in the boot/trunk.

Guy: “What seems to be the problem?”
Me:“I’ve run out of fuel”
Guy: “Ok, first, let’s get the car off the road. Where are you headed?”
Me:“Centerville”
Guy: “Do you have a can in the car?”
Me:“No”
He opens the car door, pulls out the keys and hands them to me.
“You don’t want your battery to run out”
Just then a police car with flashing lights parks behind his and we all walk towards it.
I explain the problem and the lady officer offers to help.

“I’ll take her to the petrol station”

Guy: “Make sure to take all valuable possessions with you and next time; don’t sit inside when your car stalls on the highway. Get out and stand on the side”
Me: “Thank you so much!!!!!”

Police lady drives me to the petrol station to buy a can; we put in fuel and drive back. On the way she cautions me as well about sitting in the car.

Police woman: Do you have triple A?
Me: I’m not sure
Police woman: What’s the model of your car?
Me: Err I’m not sure
Police woman: Do you have a filter?
Me: No
Police woman: On which side is your fuel tank?
Me: Let me check

Quite clearly I was as green as a raw mango in the middle of Teso.

She taught me how to use the gas pump to fill the jerry can and helped me to funnel it.
The car raved. Woo hoo!!!
She told to drive on till McLaren and then take a right onto lee highway. Before long, I figured it all out and I was on the road to our house. That was such a good feeling.

I walked in the door, 5:00am in the morning and there was not a soul in sight.
I put the phone on charge, tried to call Sam but he wasn’t picking. I took a shower, slept for 2 hours and then drove to Pat’s place to find my people there.

Tears, tears, prayers, thanks giving, narrations and here we are today, glad to be together again.

I still dream about intersections and highways from time to time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS GOOD PEOPLE!