I loved driving long distances, so when i was assigned the duty of driving to Washington, D.C. from my then home in Abingdon, Virginia where i was Associate Artistic Director of Barter Theatre, to be part of the popular Regional Theatre Audition group, i was delighted. I looked forward to giving a group of excited actors a chance to strut their stuff and maybe even hiring one or two of them.
The 6-hour drive started out easily enough, with an enchanting swirl of light snowfall to see me on my way. I had almost 400 miles of driving ahead of me, and i looked forward to cozying down in my hotel room in D.C. and ordering room service.
Soon, however, the snow took over my driving life, and i was half way through my drive, but all the way into a deep blinding blizzard. By the time i got to D.C. the auditions had been cancelled and when i went o show up at the audition site, just in case an actor showed up, i was the only person there. So…..
I never got a chance to order room service, because i wanted to get home to VIrginia and cozy down with husband and pups.
Well, the Universe had other plans for me, and by the time i was out on the road again to drive home, the snow was so blizzardly blinding, i could not see my way in front of me…i was terrified., cold, hungry and extremely tense.In fact, my body ached with tension.
How was i going to make it back to Virginia?
Finally, i drove off to the parking lot of a small motel, and fought my way into the lobby where a lone young man was tending the check in desk.
I asked if there was a local bar i could go to to have a warming whiskey. He said everything was closed.
But he had checked me in with a little surprise: a bottle of Banana liquor he had received as a gift and had yet to open, so i checked into my room, ran a warm hot jacuzzi tub , and lulled myself into a sort of coma sleep by taking nips of that disgustingly sweet and life saving banana ambrosia.
I wrote the hotel manager a glowing letter of praise for the young man behind the desk, and left him a hearty tip. And i still have that bottle of banana liquor to this day….i may be buried with it.