the    sides

The following account is true. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

The phone rang, Amy grabbed it and after some confusion - she hands the phone to me.

“It’s for you. Sounds bad.”

“This is Grant.”

“Dude, have you gotten any of my emails?”

I immediately recognized the voice. It was Ed.

“No man, I haven’t. It’s Sunday afternoon and I -”

“What about your cell phone?”

“I’m sure it’s around here somewhere - what is wrong?”

“I’ve got some major travel issues. I’m stuck here until Wednesday.”

“Here” wasn’t just any “here.” “Here” was a warm weather paradise around the equator.

“Did you hear me? Somehow I messed up our flights and didn’t realize it until we got to the airport and to change the tickets is going to be - ”

“Let me get this straight. You are in a tropical paradise…with your wife….with no kids….no meetings or responsiblities…away from the cold and snow of Denver…for the next three days? So what exactly is the problem? Can’t figure out what to do with all the time?”

Ed said something to the effect of being responsible and work and something else that I didn’t hear because I was still trying to figure out what exactly the problem was. Since there was silence, I figured it was my turn to speak.

“So why are you calling me and why do you sound stressed?”

Good thing Ed has me in his life. I kept his name out of this post to protect his identity AND I helped him figure out what cool umbrella drink to order with his seafood. Meanwhile - I’ll go back to shoveling snow.