Move the Snow Plows

Spring 2015

At 4 a.m. Terry woke me.
Desperately sleepy and hoping his problem would be quick and easy, I asked, "What do you need?"
He said, "I need you to...", with the remainder of the sentence unintelligible.
"What?  I didn't catch that."
He repeated his "need" several times, before I was able to catch his words.
"I need you to do something about all these snowplows!"
"Snowplows?"
"Yes!  I need you to move the snowplows."
"What snowplows?"  I asked.
"The snowplows!  The snowplows!"

"Honey, we live in San Diego."
His face reflected both confusion and frustration.  "I know that!"  Normally Terry's voice is nearly at a whisper.  But, now, he was putting some real effort behind what he was saying, nearly shouting.  "You have to do something about the snowplows."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Move them!  Move them!"
"Sweetie, I think you're asleep or just waking up."
He looked at me for a few seconds, as though trying to comprehend what I just said, but went right back to his determinated goal.  "We have to do something about the snowplows.  It's going to be very expensive."
"Okay.  How many snowplows are there?"
This question seemed to calm him, as he thought about the number.  "A dozen or so,"  he eventually said.  "There's a lot of them."
"Where are they?"
"They're parked outside."
"Where?"
"On the street.  They have to be moved or they'll be towed."
"Are they broken down?"
"No."
"Then why would they be towed?"
"Because they don't have a permit."
"A permit?"
"Yes, they don't have a permit.  It will be very expensive, if they all get towed."
This is where I made a mistake.  I said, "Sweetie, there are no snowplows, because we live in San Diego."
Terry erupted.  "I know we live in San Diego.  Get the hell out of here!"
What I should have done was simply said, "Yes, Dear, I will move the snowplows," and left the room for a few minutes.

The next morning, while smiling, I gently asked Terry what he was thinking in the early morning.  He said he thought there were a bunch of snowplows that needed to be moved.  We figured out that he had been watching television shows about Alaska.  That's where the equipment came into his mind.  Then, we live in a college area, where every vehicle must have a permit and must be moved every three days or be towed.  That's where his urgency to move the snowplows originated.
I asked Terry why he was so upset.  He said he was frustrated that nobody would help him move the snowplows.  Apparently, in his mind, he had tried to get other people to help and they either wouldn't or couldn't.  He thought I could drive a snowplow.

At least he recognized my skill set.  ;)