Stranded at Camp David

Super Bowl Sunday started like any other Sunday. Actually, it was better because it was sunny in comparison to gloomy Saturday and I felt inclined to take a walk outdoors. But I didn't have time for a stroll because I needed to go to Stater Bros. to buy Lean Cuisine meals to have for lunch at work. I asked Leo if he was willing to walk the long block to the super market with me and he was. I retrieved my large reusable bags from my car and off we went. Sixteen boxes of frozen lunches, other random groceries, and forty-six dollars later, we were on our way back home all in an hour's time.

 

Then we agreed to get ready for mass at 12:30pm. As I did, I called my high school friend and wished her a happy birthday. A while later, we were at church ten minutes early although finding parking had been a pain. After finding a spot a block away, we were sent to an adjacent meeting room with a projector screen because the shrine was full. Mass was running on Mexican time and started fifteen minutes late. Throughout the hour, I craned my neck towards the nearest speaker when children whined and cried and ignoring them didn't work. By 1:30pm we were anxious to leave since we had agreed to meet my friend Sophia at her house at 2:30pm. I started losing my patience when mass wasn't over still at 1:45pm since we had a thirty-five minute drive ahead of us. I asked Leo if we should leave in the middle of the closing announcements and he said yes. I told him God would send us to hell if we did. He said we'd head out if a fifth person had something to say and when she did, we rudely got up with our heads bowed down in shame and walked towards the exit. Leo redeemed himself by helping the folklórico group sitting in the patio with their fundraiser by paying two dollars for a tiny bag of Ricachones they were selling for $1. As we headed toward the car, I reminded him that we hadn't crossed ourselves on our way out. He did so right then and there on the street and told me to do the same. Laughing with embarrassment, I started to but noticed a family in a van staring at us so I stopped. I told Leo that the people were going to think that we were stupid but he insisted I cross myself since we were still walking next to the church. I followed orders as soon as we walked past the van.

At 2:20pm we were finally heading in the direction of Big Bear where my friend Sophia lives. I was consumed with a rush of giddiness thinking about the fun we were about to have. At 3pm, we arrived to Camp David, the name of the cabin, just in time for the game.

I found pure cuteness in that house!

E! channel was in the background while Sophia, her boyfriend, Leo, and I caught up at the island in the kitchen. We were so busy talking that we remembered that the Super Bowl was on just before Alicia Keys cranked out the National Anthem. That's when I loaded up my paper plate with pizza and salad, you know, to balance things out, and Sophia and I took our seats to judge the singer. We agreed that Alicia can sing but cannot always hit her own notes. I personally think she chickened out on the last line of the song and played it safe but did good overall. Since neither one of us cared for the game, Sophia and I retraced our steps back to the kitchen and I stuffed myself over and over again with salad, Doritos galore, Pepsi, and the won tons Sophia had finished frying when we arrived. 

We all congregated around the television to watch the half time show because Sophia is Beyonce's number one fan. I believe this performance was the basis for throwing the party. At first, Sophia couldn't decipher the lights on the screen in the shape of Beyonce's profile. She suggested flowers would have been more creative and I added, "less self-absorbed." Sophia waited for the live rendition of "Countdown" while I hoped to dance in my seat to "Run The World." Instead, we saw speculations of Destiny's Child making an appearance come true as two girls shot up from the ground. But at Camp David, we remained unenthused. The Beyonce-centered show continued with five Beyonces on the stage-- Blue Ivy's mother, two fake ones, and two digital ones-- leaving us dumbfounded as we figured out which one was the real star. Because Sophia was the first one to criticize her idol, I felt comfortable enough to say (without risking our friendship) that I hated the song "Halo" and thought P!NK would've done a better job. Sophia concluded that the show had been a mini-concert rather than a Super Bowl celebration and we all proceeded to reminisce last year's Madonna half-time show instead.  

Immediately following the underwhelming, much anticipated show, Sophia summoned me to the loft where I have modeled vintage clothing for her Etsy shop before (http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaSophia). She made out like a bandit at a thrift store last Friday and wanted to give me a clubbing dress and a teacher one that she bought for half off each. After realizing that one of the zippers had to be fixed, we joined the boys once more.

Sophia and I entertained ourselves with her Ipad while the guys made "oohs!" and "ahhs!" at the plays on TV. Leo was going for the Ravens because of some high school drama with the 49ers' quarter back. Sophia's beau rooted for the red and gold because he's from up north, I think. After the lights came back following the thirty minute black-out, we thought the niners had rigged the game somehow when they started catching up. But the best team won in the end.

The Ravens were declared the winners around 7:30pm. That's when we all gathered around the food again. We were talking and munching when Sophia's mom called at 8:15pm, the same time Leo and I were getting ready to leave. She said the road was blocked and couldn't come home. She asked that we watch the news to find out what was happening. I didn't think there would be any information being that we were far too inland for the metropolitan local stations. But I was wrong. A tour bus had collided with at least one car and rolled over, blocking highway 38. There were thirty-nine passengers and several of them were dead.

 

My initial thought was, Damn, we're going to get home really late. Monday was supposed to be my first day back at work after my extra-long holiday break. I had been preparing by trying to sleep early the week before and waking up earlier than I had become accustomed to. 

 

I asked Sophia if I could borrow her house phone since I had no cell reception. I had told my mom I was going to go to the cabin and knowing that she'd watch the breaking news before going to sleep, I wanted to let her know that I wasn't in any danger. Sophia called her mom back and told her it was best for her to stay at an aunt's house nearby.

 

We sat around the television watching the horrific helicopter shots. The bus was blocking the entire highway and debris was scattered probably hundreds of feet in circumference. Initial reports claimed someone had cut off the bus driver which prompted an infuriating discussion in the cabin. Driving in the mountains takes patience and calculation but a lot of people don't think that curves or speed need to be considered or respected in these areas more so than on freeways. We have all experienced tailgating that can make us believe for a second that we are actually towing the vehicle behind us in that stretch. I recounted how I had the road all to myself that afternoon starting at the intersection where the accident was currently making news. Those had been the most relaxing couple of miles I had ever driven through highway 38. I had driven at my own pace enjoying the views without anybody swerving behind me trying to get me to pull over to let them pass.

 

We were really shaken up thinking that it could have been any of us four colliding with the bus. Leo and I had just driven up. Sophia's boyfriend had picked up the pizza before us. And her mom was out running errands. We were definitely creeped out for a bit.

 

The reporter said that it might take up to 24 hours to reopen the highway. Leo and I shot looks at each other while Sophia and her man laughed at us. How were we supposed to get to work the next day? How were my students going to survive without materials of any kind? I would have to sleep with my contacts which the doctor warned me against along with swimming or showering, or what I call the three s's.

 

Sophia was the first one to declare a sleep over. Leo and I had no choice but to let the idea sink in. I suggested going up and around the mountain as a final option but heard grumbles of it taking fours hours. Leo got up and emailed his business partner that he wasn't going to be in on Monday. I followed by requesting a sub, promising myself that I would check the conditions early in the morning before succumbing to an extra day of vacation.

 

Sophia asked us if we wanted to drive to the scene of the accident since the street wasn't blocked off from the highway. But we had just seen yellow tarps covering the deceased bodies on TV and agreed that we didn't want to be the first ones to discover new ones before the authorities did. But this didn't stop Sophia and me from getting in her car and driving to the highway to see if we could catch a glimpse of lights and sirens. I told the guys to come and find us if we weren't back in thirty minutes  but Sophia quickly changed that to fifteen. As we bundled for the walk to the car, I asked her if bears still roamed the cabin and she said yes. We entered her car and Sophia admitted that she was a little scared. I buckled my seat belt and told her to do the same so we wouldn't be emitted from the car in case we fell off the embankment. She drove up the pitch black road to the highway and snapped at me for being too quiet. My mind was busy with thoughts of work, or lack of, the next day. We saw more darkness when we reached the highway and after a three-point turn, headed back to Camp David.

Forced to spend the night. How terrible.  

Sophia gave me some sweats to change into and the guys grabbed more beers. Meanwhile, Sophia prepared a vodka sunrise to calm me, I'm sure. But I didn't finish it. Not only was I bloated from so much food, but I was consumed by the shakes due to the cold and my rattled nerves. There was no room for a single drink.

 

Around 11:30pm, Leo started dying on me. It was obvious he was coming down with something and I suggested we go to sleep. Sophia grabbed some blankets for us and accommodated us in her mom's room. Although my eyes were burning, I couldn't fall asleep because my mind was running wild. I made a mental note to buy extra cases for my contacts and travel-sized solutions to keep in my cars just in case I was ever stranded again. I had slept in them once after an impromptu sleepover at my friend Maria's house so I knew I'd be fine. I surprised myself when I woke up at 2:19am and could actually read the time on the cable box across the room. It was wonderful to see without reaching for my glasses but I was even more happy for having slept a little bit. It took me about an hour to fall back asleep before I was up again at 6:29am. I woke Leo when I asked him for the remote. It was bitter-sweet when I heard the reporter say that the road was closed indefinitely. I told myself that I'd call the school at 8am to leave instructions and attempted a second round of sleep. 

 

But I failed miserably. I felt like I had been up for 24 hours. At 8am, I went to the office on the other side of the cabin and emailed and called the secretary at the school. I also dialed my mother from Sophia's house phone because I knew she would've called me already since it was around the time I headed to work. Then I went back to the bedroom and surprisingly took a nap.

 

We were all up and about after 9am. The cabin smelled of coffee and Sophia's boyfriend was making waffles. One of the ideas that kept me awake that night was the ability for me and Sophia to walk to the site of the accident and back in the morning to get a work out while her man and Leo worked out in the garage. But we decided that we'd walk off  the waffles together and leave them on the highway.



Empty Hwy 38. Rare. I still feel the burn in my calves.

We came across one of Sophia's neighbors at the beginning of our stroll and he claimed that the accident had happened in front of him. Sophia asked how he'd gotten home and he said he had driven up to Big Bear and down again. Knowing that was our only option, I inquired about the travel time although according to Google, it would take two hours. His estimation was 100 miles but the detail that frightened me the most was that the road had been icy. It was then that I was sure I had made the right decision by spending the night.
 



"Can you feel it," Sophia asked of the climb.





So cool.

The "blocked" road towards the scene of the accident.

Sophia took us to the creek.

By 1pm, we were back in the cabin. Leo and I grabbed our stuff and headed out but not before warning Sophia that we might be back if for some reason they didn't let us out the closure heading to Big Bear. I only had a quarter of a tank of gas which would have easily gotten us home but would now have to fill up when we got to the top.
 

It took us an hour to get to Big Bear. I filled up and finally got a hold of my mom since it was the first time in 22 hours that my phone showed any reception bars. After describing the situation, she told me not to visit Sophia anymore because that road was too dangerous. If that were the case, I'd be off limits from visiting her in L.A. too.

After passing a local Mexican restaurant favorite of ours, Sonora Cantina, Leo and I made a quick stop at McDonald's; neither one of us was in the right mindset for a margarita. I chewed on Chicken McNuggets while Leo chomped on a Big Mac as we watched updates about an abducted boy and a young boyfriend-killer on trial on the flat screen. I also overheard two guests discussing their version of their stranded night before hitting the road again.

Although he claimed to be feeling better after our meal, Leo held on for dear life until we were out of view of that mountain. During one stretch of straight highway, I looked at him and he was holding on to the handle on the roof of the car with his right hand and to his stomach with the other. He said he couldn't stand his headache anymore and breathed in a very calculated manner. I recommended he do it like Becky Katsopolis on Full House while delivering her twins--hoo hoo hee, hoo hoo hee--but he said that he wasn't pregnant. I said, Maybe not with a child but with something else you are. He begged me to drive at the posted speed limit, that's how sick he was since he usually wishes that I stepped on it a little more. But just as I was gaining speed after passing a 45 or 55mph sign, a 35 or 20mph one appeared within a quarter mile, forcing me to slow down quickly and take sharp turns.

I tried talking to him to distract him but it didn't work. If I told him to check out the snow on the mountain side, he would get dizzy. It was a good thing we spotted the frozen lake right after lunch because he was able to catch that view. I only drove over a short patch of ice and realized that I was the luckiest person in the world right then and there. I cringe at the idea of driving in the snow yet there I was, smack in the middle of winter forced to drive through Big Bear. Luckily, the storm had taken place a week before making for dry roads as if it were summer.

SUV blocking my beauty shot.

When I was on the freeway passing the entrance I use to get home from work, I noticed that it was 3:51pm, the exact time I would be heading home had I actually worked. I considered stopping by to prepare some things for the next day but then I remembered that I wanted nothing more than to yank my contacts out. I feared a torn cornea like my cousin suffered last year or an infection. So I let go of the idea and got caught in the normal traffic but at least Leo was feeling better. We arrived at my apartment slightly after 4pm and I was glad that my favorite unassigned parking spot was waiting for me. I told Leo then, Everything is perfect. Things always turn out the way they are supposed to.