Phone call

I knew it was really windy out (in Colorado Springs) but I decided to go for a walk, as I'd been inside most of the day. Half an hour or so in, my cell rings. I hadn't brought my charger along, so I'd been keeping the phone off; I turned it on in case a coworker called with a change of plan for meeting up for dinner, but it was mom that called.

A.: Hello?
Mom: Can you talk, or are you driving again, as usual?

I don't usually drive, nor generally answer the phone when I do, but I'll make sure to drive even less so as to be more available to take mom's calls.

A.: I'm not driving; I'm walking and it's very, very windy.
Mom: Well, we were out... Sunday? Was it Sunday, or was it yesterday? Was it Sunday?

Pause

I think it was Sunday. V., was it Sunday?

A.: Mom!
Mom: Anyway, we were out driving. There was this street called Valentine Street. It was a side road. You know where it was--near Auburn...

Mom goes on for a good three minutes while I'm trying to figure out what her point is. Did she see a really neat turtle? Did she buy something, about which she would like me to write a complaint letter, hence the level of detail (day, street name?)

Mom: It was not only a side road, but there was also a stop sign.

Oh, no. I sense a car accident. Meanwhile, my hand--the one holding the phone--is freezing. I hope she doesn't think I'm taking notes. Not just because I took notes for four hours today for work. I mean, she's my mother. But I'm in the middle of the street, in the wind, without a pen.

I'll summarize, although part of me wants to continue telling the story the way mom did, in order to provide a negative example, i.e. how not to tell a story. For example, don't keep the listener guessing as to what you're talking about, unless suspense is warranted. Anyway, a very elderly person rammed her car around in the middle of the street and hit my parents' car. There was a witness who attested that it was totally the other person's fault, and provided contact info. Mom, inexplicably, called her insurance, to be told she had a $500 deductible.

A.: Why are you even calling your insurance company? It wasn't your fault. Your insurance company has nothing to do with this.
Mom: Exactly!
A.: Did you call the police so they could do a report?
Mom: No...
A.: You should have called the police! Then you wouldn't be dealing with this. But never mind now. I'd call or go to the police tomorrow and ask them how to proceed. I don't really know. See if your having a witness will help.

This went back and forth for another five minutes: what could the police do? I don't know, but they could probably tell you what to do. Finally, I told her my hand was freezing, which was true. In fact, my fingers are still thawing. At first, typing was a challenge. Anyway, mom accepted that, although she sounded annoyed that I didn't want to stay on the phone and keep having that conversation with her. Or perhaps that I didn't offer to write a letter about the situation. In any case, I went on with my walk. Which was beautiful. I've never been an I'll-sleep-when-I'm-dead person, but I'm definitely of the I'll-be-warm-when-I'm-dead mindset. The colors here are gorgeous, especially by the (sadly very dry) river, and the time of day and partial cloudiness made for an even more beautiful effect. Anyway, dinnertime. Cheers.