I pulled into Starbucks during a downpour to buy two lattes. I was on the phone talking to my friend Barbara, and we were pretty close to solving the problems of the world, so I continued my conversation as I went into Starbucks, pausing just long enough to order my two grande lattes. When my order was complete, I took my two drinks and headed back out into the rain, still chatting on my phone. It’s very hard to balance an iPhone on your shoulder while holding two drinks and your keys, but when you’re solving world problems, you sacrifice. I set my drinks at the base of my front windshield, opened the car and reached in to start the engine. That’s when I stopped talking on the phone … and remembered how often Joe had admonished me to turn off my windshield wipers when I turned off my car.

The windshield wipers were on high and knocked the Starbucks cups into the air, where they must have hit one another and exploded in a mid-air latte collision. I ducked, as did the unfortunate man entering the car next to me, as we were both drenched in lattes, the cups dropping at our feet. I think perhaps it was in the ducking that the man lost his grip on his coffee, spilling that as well. It was an “I Love Lucy” moment. The innocent bystander stood stunned as I offered him an apology, a paper towel and a replacement drink. I could tell this was not the sort of thing that happened to him very often, as he wiped coffee from his brow, shirt and pants and fumbled to get into his car. He declined my coffee offer.

Having a lot of experience with life’s little mishaps, I mopped up and went back into Starbucks. The good folks there replaced the lattes without charge after I explained my turnaround. As I stirred in my sugar at the coffee accessory counter, I overheard the barista say, “Wasn’t that the lady who was talking on the phone while you took her order?”

Remember, it’s a good idea to always turn those windshield wipers off!

Odd Loves Company,