Exposed

The Day Superman Died

Eight a.m. the following morning I get a call, it was my sister. "Charity, get here as quick as you can, he's not doing good, they think....she breaks down crying... they don't think he's going to make it through the day."

I hang up the phone and try calling my Mom to ask if she wants me to bring her. There's no answer on the line. I leave a message. I get into my car. I force my husband to stay at home with my two boys. They are too little and I didn't want them at the hospital. It killed my husband to let me go it alone but I really didn't give him a choice.

I try to get to the hospital which is in Center City and they have detours set up everywhere. It "Move In Day" for the colleges. I get all sorts of turned around but finally make it only to find out that they are doing work on the parking garage I usually used and it was closed. I start freaking out as I try to find another parking garage but they are either closed or full because of the college kids moving back in.

I call my sister she tells me to go to valet parking at the Cancer Center and I do but they are closed as well. I circle the area for the fifth time, I pull up and see three police officers that are just sitting there, possibly to direct traffic, who knows, I roll down my window with the intentions of asking for help, instead as one of the cops approach me I burst out in tears, and curse them out.

"My Father is in the "F@%^$#! hospital, they called me and told me he's dying and I can't find F@%^$#! parking, anywhere near this F@%^$#! place. Will one of you please F@%^$#! help me, before I go F@%^$#! insane?!"

Did you get that? That was me using the F word 5x in the span of what was probably a minute and did I mention I was talking to Philly cops?

I'm actually known among my family and friends as the one who never curses. Even my husband's friends who will curse in front of their own wives/girlfriends, should they slip...will  immediately apologize to me if I am in the room...(if that doesn't get me some dirty looks from their significant others). But there it is... thankfully instead of arresting me for being some sort of lunatic, they were very sympathetic and gave me directions to another garage I could possibly reach.

I say possibly because I never did reach it as the directions they gave led me to a dead end and no parking, whether or not that was intentional will never be known. I go around the block and park in front of what looked like an office building of some sort and try to collect myself. I look up the address on my phone's GPS to find out where the hell am I, and burst out laughing as I realize I parked myself outside of Penn's Mental Hospital. How appropriate, I thought. 

I knew I couldn't stay parked there.  My mom calls me. I tell her what's going on and the problems with parking and she is tells me she's on her way. I figure screw it and drove into Emergency. They didn't even ask questions, the valet parking attendants took my hand, helped me out of my car, grabbed my bag for me and when I handed him the keys, he just said, "It'll be okay, sweetheart."