Adventures at LAX

Last night Rick and I ventured out in the rain to LAX to pick up my grandparents.

Before we left, we put Owen to bed.  He was over tired and did NOT want to be there.  Consequently, he cried so much that he made himself throw up.

Lovely.

After cleaning up the vomit, I got Owen settled down with Grandma and Aunt Tammi watching The Little Mermaid.  We headed out to the car.

Despite the rain, the traffic was not too bad and we made good time getting out there.  However, my grandparents were stuck on their plane for what seemed (to them) FOREVER.  Then they told them the wrong baggage terminal to wait in for their luggage.  SO they waited... and waited... and waited for their baggage, but it never came.  Then they finally announced the correct terminal for them go to.  An hour from the time they landed, they finally had their luggage and were waiting curbside.

In the meantime, Rick and I had been circling the airport.

When we got word that they were ready to go, we pulled up to Terminal 5 to the first open spot to find them.  They were a little ways in front of our car.  Rick got out of the car to help them with their luggage.

Naturally, airport security came up to my car and told me I needed to circle around again.

I said, "My husband just got out of the car to help them with their luggage."

Security guy:  "If they don't have your luggage, you're going to need to circle around again."

Me: "No, they have their luggage.  They're just down that way a little bit."

SG: "Well, if they're not outside waiting then you need to circle around again."

Me:"No, they are OUTSIDE.  There just wasn't a spot to pull up in front of them."

SG: "So they're in Terminal 4?  You need to circle around again."

Me: "Noooo, they are in Terminal 5.  They're just down that way."

At this point, I was about ready to sock him in the nose..... Seriously, can you just be reasonable?  And can you stop putting words in my mouth??

Then I saw Rick and my grandparents coming with their luggage.

Me:"See?  They're right there!!!  They're coming!!"  (So  PLEASE don't make me circle around again!!!)

He left me alone after that.

I turned off the motor and got out to open the trunk.
We quickly loaded all of the luggage into the trunk and packed into the car.

I stuck the key in the ignition and turned the key.

Nothing happend.

I tried again.

Still nothing.... except a horrible rattling sound and every "check" light came on - check battery, check motor, check oil....

Lovely.  Just lovely.

I got out of the car and switched places with Rick so that he could try.
Still nothing.

In the meantime, a different security guy was standing very impatiently next to our car, just waiting for an excuse to give us a ticket.

Rick rolled down his window and told him that the car wouldn't start.

SG: "WHAT??"

Rick repeated himself.

SG:" Well, do you have AAA?  You better give them a call."

So we call AAA and they tell us it will be an hour until they can get there.

Lovely.

Rick opens up the hood and starts looking at things.  He notices that the battery has a lot of gunk on it.  He thinks that maybe if we can clean it off that the car will start, so he goes to the ever helpful security guard.

Rick:"Do you think I could get some baking soda from maintenance so I can clean off the battery?"

SG: (With a very disgruntled look on his face) "NO!!  No.... no...!"  And turns to walk away.

Twenty minutes pass.

Security Guy approaches me.

SG: "Did you call AAA?"

Me: "Yes... they said they'll be here in an hour."

SG:"They're going to be another hour before they get here????!!!"

Me: "No.... they said they'd be here in an hour from the time we called."

SG:"Well you've already been here an HOUR!!"

Me: (Looking at my clock)  "Actually, we've only been here for 20 minutes."

SG: "So they're going to be ANOTHER HOUR???"

What the.... Didn't I just tell him what was going on??

Me: "Uhhh.... NO, it's been twenty minutes... They're supposed to be here in about 35-40 minutes from now."

Security Guy then walked away.

In the meantime, we called my dad who works in LA.  Luckily he was just getting off of work and headed our way to help us.  Then plan was for my dad to take my grandma and I home and Rick and my grandpa would wait for AAA (because it was my grandpa's AAA membership that we used.)

So my dad arrived and I started moving the suitcases to his car.  While I was busy with that, my dad remembered that he had a battery charger thing in his trunk, so he got that out and started working on our car.

Unbeknownst to me, my dad was able to get the car to start with his magic battery charger thing.

At this point, Security Guy saw that the car was now started.

So he comes up to me while I'm still switching the luggage and I don't know that my car has been fixed.

SG: "SO you mean to tell me that I could've called OUR tow truck an HOUR ago and had you guys out of here???!!!"

Um... what the.......?  Seriously??  Come on....

Me: "Um... no, it hasn't even BEEN an HOUR yet and we're still waiting for AAA to get here!"

Then Rick tells me that the car is fixed.

He's standing on the other side of Security Guy.

So I say very loudly and deliberately to Rick, "So should I CANCEL the AAA?"

Security Guy looked at me all disgruntled again and then walked away.

And that was the last we saw of him.

Luckily my car made it all the way home.  I haven't attempted to start it today.