Smooth Move

I am never late.

Ok,"never" may be extreme. I suppose there has been the rare occurrence that some extenuating circumstance beyond my control may have made me the slightest bit late for something once or twice. But, in general, I am never late. Nothing brings me more pleasure than arriving exactly two minutes early. Ok, "nothing" may be extreme. I suppose there are other events that are more pleasurable, but that's for another post.

Today, I was to arrive at North Lancaster Kaiser at exactly 3:15pm for a doctor's appointment to be fitted with a brace for my ankle. My torn ligament needed some support. Grabbing my crutch and daughter, I hopped into the car at just the perfect time, factoring in the late afternoon traffic for my route.

To my horror, as I was traveling down Keubler toward I-5, I realized I hadn't shaved my legs in at least two, yes, maybe even three days. At a stop light, I confirmed that I did indeed have mild to moderate stubble on the very ankle that was to be examined.

In a panic I checked the clock, calculating the risk of turning back home to remedy the situation. Too risky. I would perhaps be late. I couldn't take that chance. My mind raced as I stayed on course, picturing the apologies I would be making to the doctor, nurse and x-ray tech for my unsightly stubble. This was not acceptable.

Thinking ahead on my route, I realized that I would be passing right by the Walgreen's on the corner of Lancaster and Sunnyslope. Could I do it? I wondered. It would all depend upon the traffic between my exit and Lancaster. It would have to be a perfectly smooth operation.

The traffic on Market was heavier than I'd hoped, but as I finally turned onto Lancaster, I saw that perhaps I could actually pull this off.

I rolled into the Walgreen's parking lot and hobbled into the store. An employee saw the look of desperation on my face and came to my aid. She directed me to the razors and even opened her register so that I didn't have to wait in line at the other.

I returned to my car in a matter of minutes, got back onto Lancaster, and shaved my right leg, toes to knee, while waiting at the stoplight at Sunnyslope, using a bottle of hand sanitizer that I had in my car.

It stung a bit, but crisis averted. I hobbled up to the check-in counter at Kaiser at exactly 3:13pm. Mission accomplished.