Adventures in Fayetteville (also known as Fayettenam)
So, leaving Charlotte on my way to Fayetteville, we hit some weather. Instead of trying to go around it, the pilot decided to SCREAM through it (we were 25 minutes early; it's a 50 minute flight). Needless to say, this made for a rather bumpy ride. Prone to motion sickness anyway, I wasn't feeling all that great, so I was taking deep breaths, I put the air on me, took small sips of my soda, and tried not to think about what a bad mistake the brisket had been at the airport in Charlotte. I had it all under control until the flight attendant came on the speaker with "please fasten your seat belts for our descent into Fayetteville. It's going to be a bumpy ride, so for those of you with delicate stomachs, there are air sick bags in the seat pockets in front of you." That was all the permission my stomach needed. I felt really bad for the guys sitting on either side of me as I filled that little lunch sack size bag up 2/3s of the way. I should have handed it to the pilot as I deplaned w/a big thank you, but I didn't.
So me and my empty stomach go to the rental car counter to pick up my car and I ask about a free upgrade to the next size car since I have a handy-dandy coupon SATO travel gave me. The girl at the counter says they don't have any more cars so I might want to save it for another time. So I get my keys and get my 2 duffel bags, ruck sack, & 2 large weapons cases off the conveyor belt and head to the parking lot to find my rental. Imagine my surprise when I realize I have just rented a lime green clown car (VW Bug). I open the door, start said clown car and crank the AC while I attempt to figure out how I'm going to fit all my bags into this car with out renting a trailer to go w/it. I get one duffel into the "trunk" and attempt to go in through the passenger side to load my other duffel into the back except I can't figure out how to get the seat to pop forward. So I push the seat all the way forward and hand crank the seat back so it is all the way forward an maneuver my other duffel and the weapons cases into the back seat & close the door. I then go back to the the "trunk" and push and shove the ruck sack (full of useless crap I received at CST that is now sitting in storage) into the back and close the hatch.
Unfortunately, this car has the kind of automatic locks that lock after a specific period of time...which has passed. So I have locked the keys IN the ignition with the engine running & the AC on full blast.
I run back to the terminal, because my hat is on the passanger seat and the last thing I need is for some doofus to tell me I'm suppose to have a hat on when I'm outdoors in uniform, and ask the girl at the counter if there is an extra set of keys for the car (one would assume, would one not?); there isn't an extra set. I explain my predicament to her at which point she snottily replies, "Well, you're going to have to call roadside assistance and you didn't pay for that coverage so you will have to pay for it out of pocket." To which I (equally snottily) reply, "Actually, it's going on my government travel card, so really you, the tax payer, are paying for it, so...thank you." I ask her what the number is and she says it's on the rental agreement. WHICH IS IN THE LOCKED CAR W/THE KEYS. She gives me the number and I call roadside assistance to get a tow truck to come out and break into the car. Thankfully, the folks on the phone were very helpful and it only took about 20 minutes for the tow truck to arrive.
He thanked me for the free "slug bug".
So me and my empty stomach go to the rental car counter to pick up my car and I ask about a free upgrade to the next size car since I have a handy-dandy coupon SATO travel gave me. The girl at the counter says they don't have any more cars so I might want to save it for another time. So I get my keys and get my 2 duffel bags, ruck sack, & 2 large weapons cases off the conveyor belt and head to the parking lot to find my rental. Imagine my surprise when I realize I have just rented a lime green clown car (VW Bug). I open the door, start said clown car and crank the AC while I attempt to figure out how I'm going to fit all my bags into this car with out renting a trailer to go w/it. I get one duffel into the "trunk" and attempt to go in through the passenger side to load my other duffel into the back except I can't figure out how to get the seat to pop forward. So I push the seat all the way forward and hand crank the seat back so it is all the way forward an maneuver my other duffel and the weapons cases into the back seat & close the door. I then go back to the the "trunk" and push and shove the ruck sack (full of useless crap I received at CST that is now sitting in storage) into the back and close the hatch.
Unfortunately, this car has the kind of automatic locks that lock after a specific period of time...which has passed. So I have locked the keys IN the ignition with the engine running & the AC on full blast.
I run back to the terminal, because my hat is on the passanger seat and the last thing I need is for some doofus to tell me I'm suppose to have a hat on when I'm outdoors in uniform, and ask the girl at the counter if there is an extra set of keys for the car (one would assume, would one not?); there isn't an extra set. I explain my predicament to her at which point she snottily replies, "Well, you're going to have to call roadside assistance and you didn't pay for that coverage so you will have to pay for it out of pocket." To which I (equally snottily) reply, "Actually, it's going on my government travel card, so really you, the tax payer, are paying for it, so...thank you." I ask her what the number is and she says it's on the rental agreement. WHICH IS IN THE LOCKED CAR W/THE KEYS. She gives me the number and I call roadside assistance to get a tow truck to come out and break into the car. Thankfully, the folks on the phone were very helpful and it only took about 20 minutes for the tow truck to arrive.
He thanked me for the free "slug bug".
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