The Winter So far

Having Crohn’s, you have to be prepared. I always have a bag of clothes and of course toilet paper in my trunk. You never know. Nothing was going to prepare me for the ordeal I encountered earlier this week.

I prepare for winter weather

With winter weather coming towards my way, I make sure to pack another bag in case I had to stay at a hotel. I live about an hour and a ten minutes away from my job. By Wednesday afternoon, it was just rain when I was leaving work, so I started to head home for the evening.

My wife, on the other hand, was stuck on the side of a mountain, getting plummeted with snow. She was almost two hours away from me, on her way home from work. When she called me, I could hear the sheer panic in her voice. She was by herself stuck on the side of the road. The road in front of her had cars facing other directions and the traffic behind her was stopped. I had to get to her, so she didn’t spend the night in the snow. I really didn’t think about my well-being. I guess that’s what you call “love.”

There was no bathroom nearby

Going back to the beginning of my story, I just had a change of underwear and shorts in a bag. I think I had socks. I decided to take all major roads until I got out to the rural parts of my state. I knew that once I got off the main roads, things would get dicey. By the time I was off the main road, I realized that I myself made a terrible mistake. I really had to use the bathroom again.

I saw the traffic up ahead, and realized that there was no turning back now. My wife was on the opposite side of the highway, going the other direction. I had to figure out a way to go past her and turn around, so I could come up behind her. The urgency in my pouch was really getting intense, so I was praying that the traffic would start moving.

After what seemed like an eternity (two hours), we started moving again, and I was able to turn around. I was able to find my wife, as she was one of the few cars stuck, with nobody behind her (remember there was an accident behind her). I, with four other guys, were able to get her to the top of the mountain, and she inched her way down. This was coming up on three hours since the rest stop. I had to find a bathroom.

A hotel manager was understanding about my need to use the bathroom

I figured the best route home for both of us would be the turnpike again. I had to stop at a hotel, to use their facilities. The manager there was great because he thought I needed a room for the night. I explained to him the brief story, and then when I felt better, the longer story. My wife really appreciated what I did for her, and was surprised that I made it that long without having any “personal issues.” I was very happy with the manager for understanding my urgent need for a bathroom. There are great people still in this world.