Ditching the Fat Man
Very early Saturday morning, youngest sweet daughter and I left home to go to her first cross country run. We were so excited. It was still dark out. We were to gather with the others at the school parking lot.
We got there right behind the coach. Soon the rest of the team arrived. I love to see her with her friends. All at once we all made a mad dash to the cars. I hope I can keep up. I don’t know my way around Fort Worth. I have no idea where we were going. All I knew is to keep up with the caravan of other cars and the bus!
I caught up to them at I 20. We all got on the interstate and off we went. Actually that was when my adventure began. Once we were on the high way, in the dark, they were gone and I didn’t know where we were going or where they went.
After finding the next exit, I texted my sweetie. She sent me the address to Trinity Park and the lady in the GPS got me there. There was no parking in the park for this event except for the participants. Good news! I found a place along the road right there nearby. Hold on! The sign said 2 hour parking. It would be better that the car didn’t get towed because I over stayed my welcome so I climbed the hill and went to ask where I should park. At last, Coach showed me a map of where I should park. The map had green jagged lines that ran out of a green block shaped field. I had no idea what I was looking at. “There is no parking in the park?” I asked. I was to take comfort in thees parting words as I walked off, “I didn’t make the rules.” To that I said, “I know. I’m just the old fat man who has to deal with it.” Little did I know what was ahead.
With conflicting directions and severely directionally handicapped, in a strange place and no sense of direction I set off in search of where the others parked. I turned up one street and another. I found out later that there were many places they were allowed to park and I didn’t know any of them. I no longer knew where I was or where the event was. I felt like I was about to panic. The words of comfort played over and over, “I didn’t make the rules.”
LOOK! I found the park again. I have even found a place to park in the park!!! One lot was full but the next one I could park next to the porto potties. Hold on! There is a truck pulling out. I will park there! WAY COOL.
Already tired I grabbed the bottle of water I brought from home and got out of the car. Where is the event? Later I found out that it was to the right. With no clue at all, I went straight and then to the left. The park is 252 acres of where I have never been.
The day grew hotter as I crossed into unfamiliar territory. I had texted my wife and daughter to let them know that I was still looking for everyone else. I found a tall hill. I climbed one earlier and was right at the event. Up I went. Almost to the top and I lost my balance. There were weeds that looked like 12 inch spikes sticking out of the ground. I don’t want to fall on that. With a few steps that would make Fred Astaire blush, I managed to land on a log. After collecting myself I got up and climbed the rest of the way up.
OK. This is a parking lot. I see an outside stadium off to the right. I remember driving there earlier. I was not anywhere close to where I was supposed to be. I looked down the steep spiked hill I psyched myself for the descent. Before I went back down to the street I made a short video and sent it to my wife and daughter. Here goes nothing?
Back in the park I make my way along a path in the wrong direction. I have no clue of how far I have walked. There is a cement picnic table ahead. If I can make it there I can sit and rest. “Daddy, where are you?” came a text. “I don’t know where I am. I’m tired and I am trying to get to where you are.” At last a text came from one of the other parents. She had a pin in the map showing me where to go. I was on the farthest away part of the park from there. Looking at the map now, there was no way that I could be farther away and still be in Trinity Park. I must have looked like a homeless drunk as I trudged back through the park. The phone battery is starting to get extremely low. It was almost in the red. Here I come.
By the time I got there the water I drank was but a memory. Heat exhaustion and extreme dehydration was not on my to do list. I called my sweetie and told her that I found everyone. I must have started to talk gibberish to her after all of that. A nice young fellow offered me water and I was glad to get it. “Thank you.”
Coach told me where she will be running through. I went and got ready with the camera. YES! It was such a proud moment. I gave her a hug and staggered back to where I thought the car was. She brought me back to the area where they all were. Hot, tired, delirious and dehydrated I was in no shape to walk off but I had to find the car so that I could get back to the school parking lot.
Another hike to the car. At least now I have an idea where that is. Look! A bridge. Didn’t I cross a bridge earlier? I think I did. Maybe not? Is this the one? Here I go. Over the bridge and walking by a road. I think I am on the wrong side of the river. No problem there is a bridge ahead. The past bridge is a long way back. I should have gone back but at that time I was no longer thinking straight. Truth be told, I was in no condition to be by myself. I was in a bad way and had been for a long time. I walked until I came to the next bridge. It was a railroad bridge crossing the Trinity River. Looking to the left I saw the parking lot. There was the car on the other side of the Trinity River. OK, no problem. I’ll just walk across the railroad bridge. Sure beets back tracking. As I carefully took one step after another seeing through the railroad ties, I remembered seeing Butch and the Sundance kid jumping off of a bridge like this. I looked down! “Oh Lord! please help me get across and don’t let a train hit me. I got maybe a quarter of the way across and said, “Ain’t no way!! I’m getting off of this.” I turned around and got off that bridge. Maybe I should have crossed there anyway.
I saw rocky places up and down both sides of the river. Maybe I can get across that little bit where the water comes through. So I walked carefully down the side of the river bank to hop my little fat grandpa self to the other side. No. That was too wide. There is another just a bit farther. I’ll go there. I got there and saw that it was just like the other one.The water was flowing too fast and still too far to jump. I was wet head to toe without falling in the river. There was a 2 by 4 to my right. It had nails all down it. It looked dangerous so I left it alone. Seeing the river flowing between the rocks from this side and the other I considered stepping through there. It maybe one or two steps across. I looked at the 2 by 4. Could I step across on that? Pole Vaulting didn’t sound like a good idea either. I could just see me face down in the west fork of the Trinity River.
I stepped back and found a rock to sit on. I called my wife and daughter. “This may be the last time I call. The phone charge is in the red.” It was fully charged before we left. I got a call back from my daughter. “Where are you?” “I am on the wrong side of the river from the car.” She gave her phone to an adult. “What is the street where you are?” I looked up at my next climb. “Let me get to the street and see.” I was amazed that I had the strength to get up there. “No street signs. I am right by the building called ‘Park Plaza.’” No street signs. He is new to this area too. Lets find out what this street is. One heave step after another with hope that I may get rescued after all I kept going.
While searching for a street sign a car pulled up next to me. I looked, “Hey Mr. Duncan! Need a ride?” I was rescued!! “Yes. Thank you!” I got in and told them where I was parked. They offered me water. That was gone in no time. Turned out that he was directionally challenged too. They took me to my daughter. She was so glad to see me. She rode with us to find the car. Coach said that he was praying for me. I thanked him.
At last! Back to the car. My phone was so far gone I dare not try the GPS. Luckily she had her’s. “Which way do we go?” She had trouble getting it to work right. It made no sense. Well, what do you know? Her phone is directionally challenged too.
There is I-30. We went East on that. She struggled with her phone. I was so tired but should have told her that I had the way home plotted. She was getting upset with her phone and directions. “Daddy do you know how to get us home?” “Oh Yeah. I figured it out, I can get us home from here.
I-20 connect, here we go. Someone had told me that there was a bad wreck on I-20. It was on her GPS too. Sure enough we were stuck in it. I didn’t mind it so much. I had some water. The air was cool. So what if the 5 lane high way is down to only one lane. I was rescued and we were headed home. I was thankful.
Maybe an hour later than it should have been, we got home. I felt like a 2 hundred pound burlap bag of rotten potatoes. I bet I smelt just as bad.
It was after one o'clock in the afternoon. Sweet Mamma had lunch ready. I enjoyed every bite. Sweet daughter told us about the race. I was so sad that I could only be there at the very end. I am thankful I got to see that. Then I told my story.
My wife sent me to my living room chair where I sat in a daze. She gave me some more water. I looked at the phone. It had been charging a little while. “How far did I walk?” That was 5.15 miles! Before I knew it she was getting ready to do laundry. “Let me help.” “No! You have been through enough. Ready to take a shower?” I got up and headed that way.
When I got out she had emptied my pockets to wash my jeans. She said they stank really bad. Dog took a whiff and trotted out of the room like a flash.
The next day I was too messed up to go to church. Today is Monday. I’m still extremely tired. I thank God that I am home and fine.
