On a Wednesday afternoon I received an urgent call. Their movers were supposed to arrive that morning. It was now mid-afternoon, and the movers had just shown up with a truck that was too small for the job. My clients tried to convince them to stay and just do the packing. But, no, they promised to come back the early next morning with a large team. Famous last words.

On Thursday morning I checked with my clients, and heard that the movers were on the way. All was well.

At 2:00 pm they got the news that the movers had had a flat tire. A special truck had been dispatched to change the tire.

I checked again at 5:00. The tire was changed, and they are on the way again.

I checked at 7:30 pm. They were still on the way.

Finally, she called back. Yes, miracles do happen. The moving truck arrived at 8:30 pm. But, unfortunately, the large team could not make it. Just two guys. Two scrawny guys,as she described them. By this time my clients were pretty close to exhaustion, having spent the day cleaning, packing, and pacing the floor.

At 3:00 am, they were finally packed and loaded.

Tired, but still on track for closing the next morning, they pulled out of the driveway and headed to a nice hotel where they had reserved a room for the night. When they arrived they found that the elevator had broken down, and they would have to climb five stories. At this point, they were physically unable to make the climb.

So, they drove down the highway to a second hotel, and then a third, and fourth. All booked.

Finally, they found a place with an opening. While the husband parked the car, the wife headed for the room, intending to fall into bed. Upon entering, she was shocked to find people asleep in the bed. Amazingly, she was able to turn out the light and get out the door without waking them up.

Exhausted, they drove to a parking lot and tried to get a few hours sleep in the car.

Next morning, they changed clothes in a gas station restroom, and arrived for closing promptly at 9:00 a.m. Except for needing a shave, everything was in perfect order.

I couldn't help thinking of that old saying, The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.