Ms. Perez Goes to Washington Part 1

I Took It As A Sign

I hate peeing on a bus. The two by two closet could be an amusement ride if not for the commode. Come test your equilibrium as you negotiate hovering over the seat. Two rides for a quarter. Finished, I leaned against the front wall, and I zipped up my pants as the bus lurched around the corner and headed up the ramp to I-81. South bound. Destination: Washington DC. I slammed the seat shut before any tank water could slosh out of the toilet. I checked to be sure no tissue stuck to the bottom of my shoes. Seventeen days through Europe on a bus and not once did I use the bus' toilet. Just an hour and a half into this ride I was using the head, trying to keep my balance, drawing upon my skills honed onboard the sailboat the Cosmic Muffin.

I opened the door. Forty five people sat in the dark. Beneath them the bus engine hummed. Forty-five strangers. Forty-five patriots. Some sleeping, some whispering. I took my seat and stared out the window. Nothing, but darkness.

It was Monday when I heard Glenn Beck’s interview with Michelle Bachmann, Congresswoman from Minnesota. She asked for patriots to call Congress and meet up with her at the Capitol on Thursday, November 5th at high noon. It was time to mobilize. Stop socialized medicine now.

“It's the 11th hour. Let's pay Nancy Pelosi a house call and tell her what she can do with the ‘Pelosi Health Care Plan’”.

Immediately, I wanted to go, but didn’t know how to get to DC on short notice. On Tuesday I would be in New Jersey attended my cousin’s funeral, making it difficult to search the web for options. Amtrak seemed convenient, dropping me at Union Station. The walk to the Capitol would take no longer than the time it takes the House to read their proposed 2000 page Health Care Reform Bill…about ten minutes. My indecisiveness cost me. On Monday a round trip ticket from Albany was $220. By Wednesday it was $280. Assuming the trains ran like Mussolini’s I would arrive just in time for the rally. But the price was a killer.

Wednesday afternoon, my sister emailed me about the Patriots from Rhode Island taking a bus from Providence for $60. “Maybe you could drive there?” I looked for a similar group out of Albany. I’m not saying there wasn’t such a group, but I found nothing on the various websites. However, a group called Central New York Patriots sponsored a bus for Michele Bachmann's Cannon Ball Run to DC from Syracuse. They were leaving at 3 AM from Price Chopper’s parking lot. That’s about 3 hours from Saratoga Springs. The cost, $60.

At 7 PM I called the organizer Joanne Wilder and got voice mail. “I’m from Hawaii. I know this is short notice and you’re probably taking a nap since you have to get up early, but if you have room, I’d love to go.” Joanne called back fifteen minutes later. Five seats left. I had an invitation.

“Bus will leave at 3:00 so be there by 2:30.”

I google-mapped Price Chopper and went on NOAA for a DC forecast, took a shower and headed out for Syracuse by 10PM. That was how I found myself rolling down I-81 through the darkened hills of Pennsylvania.