Haven’t read Part 1? Check it out here!
Well, finally, we got to Fred Meyer! The plan was to get the tomatoes and get out in 15 minutes. Fortunately, that part went according to plan.
And then it all went downhill from there. We headed to the nearest bus stop, tried to decipher which bus we’d need to take next, and got on it when it arrived.
As you’ve probably already guessed, it turned out to be the WRONG bus.
So, we let the driver know, and he told us he would turn around in a bit after a short break.
So the driver got to the end of his route and stopped the bus, coming on back to sit and chat with us for a good 15 minutes or so. Coincidentally, the bus driver was Indian, while we’re Pakistani, so we get to chatting about our families – as South Asians do – and being unfamiliar with the area.
The story comes out that we went out to get tomatoes so I could make chicken handi, and the driver cracked a joke about inviting himself to dinner. Good times.
Well, eventually, the driver dropped us off not too far from my cousin’s house, gave us directions, and went on his merry way.
We have our Google Maps on and off we go!
If only it was that easy. After several minutes pass by, we realize we’ve been walking in the wrong direction.
At this point, we are EXHAUSTED – we’ve been walking for a while, and decide we’ll just call an Uber. We’re talking to the other aunt and still not figuring out where we need to go, though the aunt is now adamant that she’ll come out and find us, but Aunt Lucy manages to get her to stay so that when we eventually find our way back home, we won’t be locked out.
Anyway, we were now set on getting an Uber. But we’re on a busy road, so we need to walk a ways till we can actually send for one. After a good walk, we finally get to the parking lot of the nearest building, and I immediately put in a request for an Uber. He should be here in three minutes. No problem.
He’s so close…and he missed us. Aunt Lucy and I stare at my phone in disbelief, watching our Uber pass us by, then turn around, come back…and pass us by again on the map. This continues to happen for another 10 minutes or so. I look at my aunt and say, “Well, you’re Lucy, I’m Lucy Jr… when we’re left alone, something like this was bound to happen!”
Eventually, somehow, our Uber driver finally figures it out and picks us up.
Gratefully, we get in, explaining that our destination isn’t far, but it’s taking us forever to get there because Google Maps just doesn’t seem to be working for us today. As it turns out, neither is the Uber driver’s GPS – hence why he kept going around in circles before finally picking us up.
Anyway, he takes us back to my aunt’s house. It’s such a short trip, a mere six minutes, but felt so far away on foot. Aunt Lucy and I walk in, exhausted. We left the house at noon; it’s now 4 in the afternoon. Yes, it took us four hours…to get four tomatoes! I can’t make this up.
My aunts insisted I take some rest after this whole ordeal, but I persisted – I’d gone out for this chicken handi, and I was going to make it that day no matter what! I told them, “Even if it doesn’t turn out good, say it is anyway.”
So, I got to work. The chicken handi was done shortly, and everyone loved it. When my cousin and his wife arrived home in the evening, we gathered around to tell our story. But as soon as Aunt Lucy says, “tomatoes,” my cousin is beside himself.
“Tomatoes?” He repeats incredulously. “Tomatoes? I got some last night – there’s a whole bag full in the fridge!”
Yes, it turns out that this bag of tomatoes had escaped our notice when my aunts and I were figuring out what we needed for the handi. I’m still not sure how that happened, but it happened.
So, that’s my story. It took me and my aunt four hours to get four tomatoes…and at the end of the day, it turned out there were tomatoes in the house the whole time.
Did I mention I was newly engaged at the time and my fiancé was also in Seattle for a couple of months? He figured out pretty quickly after that, that this kind of thing would be unbelievable for pretty much anyone else – except me. Well, he’s stuck with me now. These things keep life interesting!