-{Previously Installment}-

“This is a message for {pause} William Truman {pause} from Amtrak Rail. Our records indicate that you have a ticket on the train leaving {pause} Shaston, Shasta {pause} at {pause} Six {pause} fifteen {pause} PM {pause} and arriving at {pause} Soundview, Cascadia {pause} at {pause} Eight {pause} forty-five {pause} PM. {pause} This route has been {pause} cancelled. {pause} Please call our customer service to schedule a new appointment.” -An automated call from Amtrak

I finally get ahold of Amtrak. They don’t have any trains leaving until Wednesday afternoon. The problem is that I need to get back to Soundview by Tuesday night so that Clancy and I can leave by plane on Wednesday morning.

I’m looking at renting a car. The cheapest I can find for a one-way rental is around $200, all included. I don’t think that I have a whole lot of choice.

Clint’s girlfriend finds me a plane ticket for 7pm, which I snap up immediately. I had considered getting a flight out but had decided that if the trains weren’t running then the planes probably weren’t taking off. But it looked like I was wrong because Northern Airways was still taking flights.

Northern Airways has cancelled all flights leaving Shaston. I call NA, but it’s busy.

Attempts to reach Northern Airways fail.

I decide that maybe I need to go back and look into renting a car. The problem is that the authorities are requiring tire chains and I’m not positive if the rental agencies have them. So I call to ask. The national agency says that I need to contact the local location. The local agency’s phone lines are jammed so they refer me back to the national agency. I do some looking into it and not only do rental car agencies not keep tire chains on them but they prohibit you from putting your own on their cars.

Attempts to reach Northern Airways fail.

I reach Northern Airways and am placed on hold.

Clint and his girlfriend are about to go out and eat. I tell them that I can’t go because I need to wait to get a hold of the NA representative. Right before they leave, I get the rep. Much to my surprise, they have me on a flight at 7:30 the next morning. I’m initially excited to have an early flight that would get me back to Soundview in time to hang out with my wife, though I do some time backtracking and realize that I would need to aim to get at the airport at 5:30 in the morning. I have no idea how I’m going to do that.

I start trying to contact cab companies. First one is busy. Second one is busy. Third one has a message saying that they can’t answer right now. Fourth one is busy. Fifth one sends me to an answering machine message. Sixth one sends me to an answering machine message. Seventh one answers. I ask if I can set up an appointment for 4am the next morning. They tell me that they’re not taking appointments and I’ll have to try to just call a couple hours before I need it.

I call the Seventh Cab Company and am told that they’re fully booked for the next couple hours and are not taking reservations beyond that.

-{Next Installment to be posted on Sunday}-