Let me preface this by saying that I had a crazy busy week.  I worked a full week and then was out late every night due to trying to see people before I leave.  So when I had to get up at 4am on Friday after not getting to bed until 2am, I was a little disoriented.  When I left my house and set sail on my 6-hour-long journey, little did I know that, in my disheveled state, I had forgotten my wallet and my phone charger.

After about two hours on the road, I started to think about pulling over for some coffee and some gasoline.  I glanced around for my wallet, and there was no sign of it.  Instinctively, I knew.  I didn't have it.  Panic struck.

My first thought was to just drive and drive until I ran out of gas.  Then I could call my sister to help me out.  But she might have to drive over an hour to reach me, as there was no way I could travel another 4 hours on the gas that I had.  So I brainstormed until I realized that I have a retired father whose sole purpose in life is to bail out his crazy daughters whenever they get into desperate situations.  Lucky me.

I had another problem to face as well.  There is a toll on the Beacon bridge that I knew I had to pass through.  With no cash, no pennies to my name I started to get paranoid.  I was driving without a license.  Would they ask to see it?  Would they ticket me because I couldn't produce it?  Panic.  Panic again.

I drove silently in my car waiting until a reasonable hour before calling my dad to see if I could meet him in Danbury for some refuel.  At 7.45 I could not longer stand the anticipation.  My phone was dying and I figured it was a reasonable hour considering that until two weeks prior the man had been getting up at 5.30am, consistently for 35 years.  Turns out retirement is a funny thing.  It reverts you back into the good old teenage days of sleeping all day, or so I get the feeling as my father groggily answers the phone.  "Yeah?" "Did I wake you?" "Kinda."

Regardless, the plan to meet my father was underway and I had just enough gas to make it.  Just enough.  But now I had another problem to face.  The toll booth.  And the only way out was through.

I get to the toll booth and I am redirected into the parking lot on the side.  I am told to go into the office.  I go in a try and explain my situation.  I fill out the form to have a bill sent to me.  Then, the ticket booth lady walks over to her purse, pulls out a five dollar bill and hands it to me.  'In case you get desperate," she says.  I try and assure her I'll be fine but she insists I take it.  There is good in this world.