bulletproof

Today was a refiners fire. This whole experience is a refiners fire - well sauna really. Florida is horrid. It is humid, dirty, smokey, and just gross.

Wow - after I said that I realized how negative that come across. The days here are an emotional blood bath. The knocking part of my day ended with me sitting in a roach infested van with no license plates, no AC, and no gas... sobbing my eyes out.

Zac bought a work van which turned out to be infested with roaches. I think a crack dealer owned the car... Any way, the car was also not licensed, which I found out when I met Officer Bruno. I had parked the car on a street I was knocking. Thankfully I knocked into a lady who asked me if that was my car.
"Well, kind of. It's a work van that we just bought." I said.
"Oh honey, I'm so sorry, I just called the cops about it. You'd better take off because they're on the way."
GREAT. JUST PERFECT! OH FOR THE LOVE.
I actually knew I would get off just fine, being little, blonde, and from out of state reeeeeally helps. So rather than run from the cops and get myself in more trouble I waited. Once Officer Bruno showed up, I explained the situation, called my manager, got him on the phone and said "Here, you talk to him". Thankfully the cop was extraordinarily polite and nice. He advised that my manager, the van's legal owner, drive the car home. I strongly agreed, and asked the officer if he'd follow me to a local bank so I could park in their parking lot. He happily did, and then advised me to get out of my area well before dark. Everyone does. Apparently Florida has the highest population of young, single men, who are drugged, armed, and highly dangerous.

So after my encounter with the cop I dragged myself from door to door. At one door this little old lady had just rescued a dog and was trying to get him inside, so I helped her out with that and set an appointment to come back tomorrow. We'll see.

Then, around eight, I knocked on a door and started talking only to have the rudest wife in the entire world say "Do you know what time it is!?"
"Yes, around eight..."
"Who do you work for!?"
"General Electric."
"I can't believe you're out here trying to sell something so late."
I think at that point I just started to walk away, but I remember her saying "I want your card!" as I was walking back through her yard, towards the street.
"I don't have cards."
"I'm going to call and complain. It's ridiculous that you're out so late!"
"Don't worry, I won't be back."

That's when I went to car and sobbed, asked Zac how I was going to get home, and sobbed some more. When I told Kerry, Mike, and Brandon via text that we were going to wait until Zac could switch us cars around 10, Kerry called me. I just cried when he asked how my day was. I explained the whole cop situation, how I didn't want to drive, but how I didn't want to stay either. He made some calls, Brandon came to pick me up and he risked picking everyone up and driving home in roach-mobile.

When Kerry was talking to me on the phone, doing what all guys do when girls cry (try to get us laughing and calmed down) he said, "You know, this may suck now, but think about when you're on your mission. You'll be freaking bullet-proof."

Yes, with the armor of God and really thick skin from this job.