I worked the mid-shift today, 11am-8pm. That is unusual for me, as I normally work mornings, but due to kids asking off for proms and graduations, I was scheduled. As for the shift, it was going well! We had a great group of team members, and times were good on front line and drive-thru. Then I get a call from my wife.
“Trey missed his nap… baby is hungry… and I got my ring stuck on my finger”
I was in the middle of work, so I gave her a few tips how to remove a ring and went back about my business at Chick-fil-A. Over the next couple of hours she tried calling me multiple times, but I couldn’t answer them due to being busy. The last call I answered went like this:
“Babe, I can’t get this off. It’s so swollen and it is so painful. I have the neighbors here watching the kids, but I need help”
I was able to help get the other leader on shift to a position where I could leave 10 minutes early… about 7:50pm. I drove home and began watching youtube videos for tips and tricks on how to remove a ring and tried a few. Nothing. She was getting frustrated and in pain. Finally, we decided to run up the street to the volunteer fire department in the Fort Mill, SC, area. We loaded up a hungry Lauren and a VERY over-tired Trey… and set off into the night. That’s when I noticed we were on “E”… below “E”… as in, the digital read-out said “Distance to Empty is 0 miles”.
We had almost reached the volunteer fire department when we see a fire engine racing the other way… lights and sires ablaze. Welp, just as we expected, no one answered the doorbell when we arrived. They were all out on the call they had just received. So I decided to head towards the first main fire department I could think of… the big one in the Charlotte area 20 minutes up the road.
To get there, we had to go through the little town of Pineville, NC. By now, it’s around 9:30pm. As I approached Main Street, I was doing a healthy 40-45mph in a 20mph zone. Sure enough, there in the dark was the Pineville Police. I tapped my brakes on instinct, but then continued on at the same pace. Sure enough… here he came. The blue light special! I commented to my wife… “Good! Let him pull me over!”
He got out of his car, approached me (I was sitting in my minivan in a CFA bow tie and badge), and asked for my license. I said, “Funny story… I just left Chick-fil-A early because my wife has her ring stuck on her finger, my wallet is in our other vehicle, and we are trying to get to the Charlotte Fire Dept.” He took one look at her finger and exclaimed, “Good Golly! Follow me!”… He zoomed off and led us to the Pineville Fire Dept, ran inside, and soon 3-4 fireman appeared, along with an EMT who was hanging out at the station. The EMT tried the rubber band trick that “always works”. It didn’t. He was able to move the ring to the knuckle, but it was stuck again… and this time the finger was turning blue. Next plan of action: “Get me the ring cutter”.
Thankfully, it wasn’t her main ring. It was her wedding band. She has been itching to wear it again after being pregnant, and thought her weight and fluid had gone down enough to wear them. We thanked the EMT, fireman, and the cop… who laughed and commented that this got us out of a $240 speeding ticket. And that, folks, is how the House of Prain spends their Friday evenings. 🙂
HOUSE OF PRAIN 