I worked over 80 hours this past week. Including one thirty three hour stretch with no sleep due to the sheer amount of things that I had to do.
I only worked a regular nine hours on labor day, which was kinda cool 
The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about labor day was leaving work. I went in to work at around noon, not a cloud in the sky…and when I walked out of work at 9:00 PM, the streets were flooded. I had to drive my car on the side of the road just to get off of the road where the business is located. When I actually reached the main cross-street…forget it. The car stalled out on me. No engine, no-go. Waterlogging is a bad thing. I was lucky enough to have just enough drift left to drift onto a relatively dry spot of land to let the engine dry out. Westshore avenue sucks.
I got out of the car. I saw a car with its emergency lights on sitting in the thigh-deep water of the street. My conscience kicked in. Ouch.
First customer of the night. I pushed a Volkswagon Beetle onto the median, managed to help the guy get it started after about 15 minutes. He made it through okay.
Second customer. $300,000 Italian-something-or-other car. In order to push the car to a safe place, it has to be in neutral. It appears that this super-expensive car can’t shift gears without the engine on. I couldn’t help him. He called a tow truck. The tow truck started to tow him, then got stuck in the water. He and the two truck drivers, as well as one other person, were able to push the tow truck toward dry land.
Third customer. She’s in hysterics. She’s crying and banging on the windows of her car, she can’t get out, water is flooding in. She’s just getting out of the airport. I manage to get her to roll down the window and explain that the water isn’t high enough to get in through the windows. I get her to put the car in neutral and push her on to dry land. She’s still in hysterics. I hold her until she calms down some. She calls AAA, they tell her that her policy is expired. She calls her mother, her mother lives too far and can’t do anything. I explain to her that she just needs to wait and that her car will drive again. It starts driving again. She tells me I’m her hero.
Fourth customer, two Asian girls. After half an hour, I get them started again and tell them how to get where they are going safely.
Fifth customer, New York Yankee — I get him onto dry land, but his car starts growling. Literally. And it won’t stop. I’ve never heard a car make that kind of noise in my life. Not a dog growl — a cat growl. He joins my team and helps me push cars. AAA tells him that they are no longer servicing the Tampa Bay area tonight.
Sixth customer, Texas Punk Rocker Cowboy — his car won’t start. We push it up by Yankee’s car to dry out. I recruit him as well.
Seventh customer, Umbrella Lady. At least she’s got an umbrella in the rain.
Eight customer, Taxi Driver. We push a van up a hill and it starts to dry out.
Ninth customer, Security Guard. We get his car over by the van.
Tenth customer, Husband and Wife. She tells me I’m going to heaven. I tell her that I’m not going anywhere if the streets don’t dry out.
Eleventh customer, Glasses Man. He can’t help much because of back problems.
I spend the next hour directing traffic at an intersection away from the street. Good thing I had on a bright shirt.
The first people to dry out where the Husband and Wife. They left. Then Glasses Man was able to leave.
Security Guard never left, nor did Taxi Driver. But then again, they didn’t try to start up their vehicles again. If I recall correctly, anyway.
Umbrella Lady, Cowboy, and Yankee…their vehicles never made it out of the parking lot that night. Cowboy goes to the hotel across the street and wants to attempt it again in the morning. Umbrella Lady gets a ride on the phone and he comes to pick her up. Yankee goes to the hotel where the Cowboy went. Yankee is a teacher near the Riverview/Brandon area.
The Cowboy came back, said the hotel was too expensive. We walked to another hotel, that was too expensive. They suggest the Best Western down the street. Nice people. He goes and gets a room there.
Over the course of the night, I had called the Tampa Police Department a few times. Got a different person every time. One lady said, “It’s not our responsibility to help push cars out of the water if they’re stuck.” I said, “Then whose is it?” She replied, “It’s the responsibility of the driver to move the vehicle.”
I asked her if she could at least send out a couple of officers to help direct traffic away from the street. She replies, “It’s not our responsibility to direct traffic.” I tell her that it is, and that I’ve seen them directing traffic before in situations like this. She then proceeds to cuss me out and hang up on me.
Tampa police officers suck.
I called again and got this response: “What if one of our cruisers gets stuck? What then?” I said, “Just park the cruiser on dry land nearby. It’s the manpower we need, not the vehicle.” Their reply: “We can’t do that, sir. We can’t risk the car getting stuck.” My reply: “Yes, which is why I suggested parking on dry land.” They say: “We’re not sending out a car, it’s too risky.” I say: “At least you’d be doing your job if you TRIED to help.” Then I hang up.
Tampa police officers REALLY suck. It’s not like it’s rocket science to help people.
I walk back to my car. It starts. The streets are relatively dry once more…that is to say, they’re visible. I go home. 12:30 AM.
I need a truck.