As part of our free vacation we promised to take Evan to the Norfolk Zoo. I was not impressed (compared to the Louisville Zoo) but Evan was excited. We had only been there for 15 minutes when the heavens opened up and the monsoon started.

We were drenched beyond belief and there was no end in sight. I offered to go all the way out to the car and get dry clothes and umbrellas for us all. It was raining so heavily that I had to pull clothes out of the suitcase while balancing an umbrella and the trunk half-open (Would that be half-closed if you're a pessimist like me?)

I didn't worry about finding the "best clothes," just something dry. The first thing I grabbed for the hubby was this sleeveless, wife-beater shirt that he sleeps in. He complained some, but I was standing there dripping wet and mascara running down my face so he got no sympathy from me.

We changed into the dry clothes and continued (surrounded by the lightning and drenching rain) to look around the zoo. Of course, there were no animals to see because they were smart enough to get out of the rain.

We left the zoo at 4:00 pm, just in time to get across the bay/bridge tunnel before rush hour hit. That was the plan anyway, until we got lost and drove, for more than an hour) in circles around Norfolk and Virginia Beach for. Two hours later we made it to I-95 and I finally felt like we were heading home. (Well not really "home" since I still consider Louisville "home" but we were heading to the house we currently occupy.) Since we were still damp and very tired we decided to stop at Cracker Barrel to finish drying off and eat warm food.

After we were seated, Mark decided to go outside and change his wet socks and shoes. After a somewhat relaxing meal we paid the bill and walked to the car. That's when I noticed the lights were on. Mark had left them on when he lit his cigarette when changing shoes.

This was not a happy moment for the Lawson clan. Mark seemed to think that the battery might spontaneously regenerate, but I knew he just did not want to ask anyone for help. After waiting 15 - 20 minutes for a miracle I started nagging. We thought our luck had changed when a couple got into the car next to us. As they started to back up, Mark walked up to the passenger side and knocked on the passenger-side window.

By the look on their faces you would have thought he was going to car jack them. Of course, he was still wearing that lovely sleeveless shirt. The woman finally rolled down her window and Mark tried to describe our predicament. They truly looked terrified. Finally the man said (with a heavy German accent), "we don't speak English." At this point I looked at them and said, "Never mind."

That's when I remembered the cute "jumper cable for girls" set in the Cracker Barrel gift shop. Mark went to buy them -- $7.95 -- and asked several people for help. After being turned down twice, he found a man who was willing to help us get back on the road.

Next Chapter: Norfolk Part Duex