The [Old Man, the Old Mom] and the Teen College Visit
That moment when the 72-year-old granddad and the 52-year-old mom of an 18-year old, embarrassingly gets separated from the college tour group...
My daddy and I don’t have any sense of direction. We go left when we’re supposed to go right and we need a navigator for the GPS. Daddy is a great driver though and that’s why I asked him if he’d like to ride along with Christopher and I on a college visit to UNC-Charlotte. I knew he’d likely drive even though I didn’t ask him to, so I was his navigator to the GPS. I was so glad he drove. I’m not a fan of 3+ highway lanes and I was already mind blown about my one and only baby going on his first college tour. Entirely too much to think about while changing lanes in commuter traffic.
Before we left, daddy said he was going to drop us off and go to a guitar store and look around. Once we were parked, he said, “I think I’m going to stay right here.” I said, “Good, I don’t have to worry about you getting lost.” He said he was going to sit in the car the whole time. Once Christopher and I were seated inside, the speaker said he’d talk to the group about 20 minutes and then we’d be going on a walking tour. So I texted daddy and asked if he wanted to go with us and he said yes.
Here we go…
I’d already had to look for my dad twice when our tour guide was about to take us to another location. After the second time daddy was MIA, I asked him, “Do I need to hold your hand?” He was either hanging around at the entrance that we’d come in or he was hanging back taking pictures not realizing how far behind he was.
At some point during the walking tour I wondered if I was the only one who had to use the bathroom. I went and whispered to the tour guide, “Is there a bathroom I can use somewhere?” She informed me that after the next stop we would be going in the library and I could use the bathroom there. I did not hear her say there would be an official bathroom break.
As soon as we got in the library I left the group and headed straight to what I thought was the nearest bathroom. The group was now out of ear shot and no one was behind me. I thought to myself, I guess no one had to go but me. After I came out of the bathroom I went in the opposite direction because it appeared shorter than the way I’d come. I didn’t see the group anywhere and I didn’t see my dad so I walked back the other way.
Ut oh.
I texted daddy first and he immediately called me. He wasn’t using a library voice when he said, “I’ve been waiting for you outside of the bathroom.” I whispered, “I just left the bathroom.” He said, “I’ve been waiting here the whole time and everyone came out but you.” I said, “No one was in the bathroom with me.” Then I said, “So you’re not with the group?” He said, “No.” I told him to walk towards the middle of the library and I’d call him back. I needed to text Christopher.
Christopher was too through with Me and his Granddaddy
That moment when you know your son is rolling his eyes…
Later Christopher asked me where did I disappear to. I said, “I think I went to a staff bathroom because it seemed farther away than necessary.” Ooops
NOW STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LIBRARY
I did not see my daddy when I called him back. I said, "Where are you?" He said, "I'm in the middle." I said, "I'm in the middle, by the door we came in. Go ask someone where the entrance is and go there." So he called me back from the entrance and then it was apparent that we were not at the same one. Additionally, neither of us could see the group.
I told daddy to go outside and stay there while I seemingly walked around the entire outside of the library.
When I finally spotted him, I checked find friends and found that Christopher was straight ahead. I called daddy and told him to turn around and he would see me. After five or so turns looking in the wrong direction he finally saw me. GEEEEZ.
THE LIBRARY!
When the tour was over and we were going back to where we parked, I used the GPS for walking directions. The car should have only been 4 minutes away. We were no where near anything that looked familiar when the GPS said we had arrived. Sigh.
After asking someone, and following right directions wrong, daddy found a campus map. YOU ARE HERE got us going in the right direction. Hot and sweaty after 5 miles worth of walking, we were finally back to where the tour started.
The Old Man
The Teen
I hope that Christopher doesn’t have the same no sense of direction as me and my daddy. Apparently it is inherited because my brother is the same way.