My One-Hour Lunch

    At my job I get an hour lunch, as most full time employees do.  I wanted to spend the $5.00 I had in my glove-compartment, my husband left me, on something greasy and fulfilling but those darn kids intercepted my desire plans.

    I was in my 11:15am meeting when my phone rang; it was the baby of my three children I gave birth to. Since we were at the climax of the meeting I thought it best to text her telling her I was in a meeting and was everything okay.  Those are the words I use to let my adult children know that I am detained in a meeting or on a conference call.  But they know if it is an emergency they need to text me back with emergency so I can determine how I need to proceed.  Well she did what I trained them to do. She wrote me, No I am not alright. Call Me! I jumped from my chair leaving my keys and papers on the conference-room table and went out into the hallway to call her back. I dialed 999-9999, the phone began to ring.  After a 1/2 ring she answered.  Her words were garbled and she was crying. My baby told me that her son's father, the JOKER, and she were fighting.  I immediately hung up the phone, went back into the conference room grabbed my keys and papers and left the meeting.  My office was right across from the conference room so I began aggressively trotting to my office to get my pocketbook and car keys.  It was 11:20am when I jumped into my car and vigorously left the job parking lot.

     I raced my butt down the highway going 70 mph on a 45 mph highway and before I realized it I was turning on the street of my daughter and the JOKER's apartment complex.  As I approached the entrance, low-and-behold, the JOKER was leaving the premises.  I u-turned my SUV and followed him.  Now, I don't ordinarily do things so spontaneous, I am lying, hell yes I do. I followed him a few blocks until he shook me in the wind; I gave up pursuit.

      When I arrived at their house the police were there to greet me, it was 11:35am.  I was surprised that my daughter called the police.  I was instructed by the dispatcher,who I was on the phone with while to chased the JOKER around the neighborhood, to tell the on-site police what happen and to give them the license plate of the white Expedition the JOKER was driving.

       Without a second thought I thought it was over for a moment and then in a blink of an eye, the JOKER, my grandson's father walked up to the police and turned himself in.  They locked him up right in front of the apartment they shared at 11:49am.

      It was all over for the moment.  I took my grandson out to the patrol car; at the request of the officer, to say goodbye to his father.  The cop took the baby out of my arms and allowed the JOKER to kiss his son and then the police took him to jail at 11:57am.

     I looked at my watch, I had 223 minutes to spare.  I gave the baby to my daughter and rushed back to the job.  On to the next meeting.  Wow, all in one hour and no one at the job was the wiser.

Violet