From the Heart
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
The plan was to meet our friends, Brad and Corinne, at BJ’s Brewhouse at HTC on Wednesday evening at 7:15. A simple, easy plan . . . so I thought.
At 6:45 Chuck called me and asked me where I was. I told him I was leaving the dealership. I think (?) I remember saying, “I’ll see you there.”
I arrived at the restaurant, very early, at 6:55 which was a good thing as there was a 25 to 30 minute wait. Brad soon arrived. A few minutes later Corinne arrived. 7:15 and no sight of Chuck.
Now I have been with Chuck four years now and the man has NEVER been late. Not one minute. I called him. No answer.
At 7:20 I called again. The hostess sat us in a booth. I could carry on a conversation with Corinne and Brad and watch the door at the same time. I would stretch my neck from time to time to see if I had blinked and missed him where I could not see him. No sight of Chuck.
A third, fourth, fifth and sixth call was made. Our friends could see my rising concern which eventually because a panic. My husband is never late. My husband was not answering his phone. I decided I needed to leave and go look for Chuck.
I knew he would take Greenfield Avenue to the restaurant. I kept looking in the distance for red lights. I saw none. I imagined him lying in a ditch with his phone just out of his reach. I knew something terrible had happened.
I had called him a total of seven times. Each time, after several rings, it would go to voicemail.
I knew Greenfield Avenue was a narrow, twisting, roundabout filled road that could be treacherous on a good day. I had said several prayers when my phone rang.
My phone read “Chuck Leonard”. I thought, well someone has found him and called me on his phone. I was wrong. It was Chuck.
“Honey where are you?” he asked innocently. I said, “Well, I was at the restaurant but now I’m out looking for you in a ditch because you have never been late in the four years I have known you and I knew you had to be hurt because you were late and you did not answer the seven calls I made to you.”
There was silence. Then I heard him say “Uh oh, I thought you were picking me up.”
I pulled into a subdivision and calmed down. I said, “Honey, I’m not upset. I was scared. I had terrible thoughts of what had happened to you and wait, why didn’t you answer your phone.” He paused and then said, “Somehow my ringer was turned down and I didn’t hear the phone. I called you when I got worried because you were 30 minutes late picking me up.”
I learned several things that night.
#1 Chuck is still never late so I will always worry if he is ever one minute late. After 15 minutes, I will be having a Come Apart.
#2 Chuck knows on occasion I am late so he will not worry until I’m 30 minutes late.
#3 Communication is very important when making plans. “See you there” can mean where we are meeting someone or it can mean, at home. Be specific.
#4 BJ’s Brewhouse is worth the wait.
If you see my husband he might have a different version of this story but he says mine is more entertaining with each time I tell it. He says I tell it with more drama and embellishment than he does.
Hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.