Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will.

And I'm related to the Murphy's.

So I decide to actually go in to work today so I'd get stuff done, rather than doing it from home, where I kept drifting off to sleep. So I get ready, get my stuff, and decide to stop at the PDQ to pick up some Diet Rite. I pull in and open my car door, and then this black Civic pulls in like at 20 mph, and almost swipes my entire door off. Well, if it had been open any wider he would have. If I had stepped out of the car a second earlier, he would have hit me.

I closed my door quickly and looked into the car. Just by looking at the guy I knew 1) he had no insurance and 2) he was here illegally. Ok, so that might be a stereotype, but I know from experience that most young Mexican men driving around fourteen year old Honda Civics are exactly that. I motioned for him to get out of the car and I asked for his insurance information. I was pretty upset. He just shook his head so I said to him in Spanish, "Do you speak English?" Of course he didn't. So then I angrily proceeded to tell him that it was illegal for him to drive around without insurance, and how did he plan on paying for my car? My car is polymer, not metal. It's not easy to fix. I told him I'd have to call the police, and I asked him if he was here legally. He told me he was, but asked me to please not call the police - that he'd figure out a way to pay me.

So I asked him, "How do you expect to pay me? Do you realize this will cost at least $1000?" I mean, the handle ripped right off the driver's side door and I can't even open it without squeezing the two broken levers together with both hands. I wasn't sure what to do. He was willing to pay me in installments, but how could I trust him? Besides, I don't have that kind of cash up front to get the car fixed to begin with, and I knew that in this kind of weather snow and water would leak in. It's the same damage that happened to my Dad a month earlier (consequently my OTHER car...and also hit by an uninsured motorist - boy my insurance company is going to love THIS). Well, it turns out that the woman at the desk in the PDQ made the decision for me, and called the police.

I asked my sister to come as well. So they we were, explaining to Angel and his friends what was happening, and then we found out yes, Angel was indeed here illegally. Well, when the police came, they asked us for our ID's and Angel doesn't have a driver's license! Then it turns out there are two warrants out for his arrest, so there I stand, with my mouth open, while the police read him his rights and handcuff him.

So what is the deal? Is it my mission in life to send young illegal immigrants from Mexico to jail? This is the second one! I felt bad for him, but I assured his friends that although he will pay hefty fines, never be able to get his license in this country, and my insurance company would go after him, that he wouldn't be deported. How do I know? Because my roommate's boyfriend wasn't. It's too much work for the police to deal with.

Anyway, my sister and I translated for the police and got the information they needed from him. I felt bad looking at Angel in the back seat with his arms cuffed behind him. I told him I was sorry and didn't mean for that to happen -- but what else could have been done about it?

So anyway...I got to work late and I'll be here until early evening. But there isn't much else to do. I'm a little frazzled and I know it will take a lot of time to get the estimates done on my car, and then get the money so that I can get the car fixed...and in the meantime I'll be driving around in my very own ghetto cruiser.

Then I find out my sister is going to Spain next month. My heart just sank, because I haven't been there in three years, and I haven't been able to do my "annual" March vacation for two years. I need to get away so badly, but unfortunately time does not permit it. I found out a few weeks ago that I actually have 3 entire weeks of vacation starting June 15th, rather than just two, because our union contracts changed. This is great news, but what will I do with three weeks??

At least my sister put everything into perspective for me, after I heaved a loud sigh and said "can it get ANY WORSE than the past two weeks?" She reminded me that it can. Her friend just had to put down her 5 year old cat this morning, after paying $600 at the emergency vet last night after the cat seemingly suffered from some kind of liver failure. They weren't sure what was wrong with her, and they didn't think they could help Thelma (the cat). Poor Thelma. Poor Suzanne. If I lost Beau or Vader it would break my heart. So I looked at my sister and I smiled and I was like, "you are right." Count my blessings. I have a million of them, and I am grateful for every one.