A little over halfway through my drive, it started. The sky turned a shade of grey. The most perfect snowflake I’d ever seen landed on my windshield. That perfect flake was quickly followed by an unrelenting onslaught of powder and sleet. My wipers couldn’t go fast enough and traffic was only getting slower. There was an Econolodge on the right. As I was pulling into its parking lot I heard the weather report on the radio say that the storm wasn’t expected to end until the next morning, at the earliest. I had to wait 30 minutes before I could even get to the front desk to get a room for the night. I finally checked in and got my key. Room 218. Lucky for me, it was the last one available.
I opened the door and walked in. I just wanted to get through the night so I laid on one of the beds and turned on the TV. Almost instantly the bathroom door flew open and a woman in her mid-to-late thirties stood there staring at me.
Had the story stopped there I would have been seen as a God amongst men in the eyes of my friends. The woman was gorgeous and the situation was prime “Forum” material. But as I lay there looking at her, with a semi and a smile, she was frozen in a moment of (what I can only imagine was) sheer terror. I tried explaining to her that it must have been some mistake. She gathered herself together and said, “Well my lamb. What a mistake it is!” My unsuspecting roommate and I walked straight to the motel manager and very politely described our situation. The manager told us that it was a simple error on his part. With all of the people rushing to get a room, he double-booked me into 218. And since all of the surrounding roads were closing, and all the other guests were already settled, I’d have to spend my night sharing a room with a beautiful stranger. Almost as soon as he finished telling us what had happened, I heard a voice behind me say, “Looks like we’re having a slumber party!” Followed by a chorus of underaged “Yaaays.” I turned around to meet Jerry Knorrs and his four children: James, Jenna, Jeremiah, and Jacob. I’d already met Jerry’s wife, Janet.
The seven of us made the awkward journey back to Room 218. Well, it was awkward for me anyway. As Jerry described it it was a “Serendipitous blessing in disguise.” The kids sang Amy Grant all the way to the door. James had a disturbingly impressive falsetto for a 15 year old. We got back to the room and I made a b-line for the empty desk chair in the corner. My plan was to simply get through this night. I’d slept through worse conditions. I apologized to Jerry and Janet and thanked them for being so understanding. Janet told me I had given her quite a scare. Had I come in any early I would have seen “the parts that only Jerry and her other favorite J man – Jesus – get to see.” What a tease. I couldn’t fall asleep. The kids kept arguing over which was the better testament. (The New eventually won out). I tried striking up some small talk with Janet. I asked her what she did, where was she from, was she happy, typical questions. Once Jerry joined our conversation after putting the kids to bed, I decided I needed some actual sleep myself.
When I woke up the next morning, Jenna and Jeremiah were standing over me. They had been watching me sleep. Jeremiah said I looked just like an angel, sent from above. The Knorrs insisted that I go with them to the Econolodge’s “World Famous Continental Breakfast.” Apparently world famous means stale fruit loops and nine powdered donuts to split amongst an entire motel. I finished my drink that Jacob had made for me (3 parts OJ, 2 parts Apple Juice, 1 part Friendship) and rushed back to my room to get my stuff. On my way out Jerry and Janet made sure to have all four kids hug me goodbye. First individually, then as a group. My mind was totally fixed on getting away from these people. So much so that it didn’t dawn on me until the following December that I’d given Jerry my address.
I still get a Christmas card every year.
Loading ...
