This Day Can't Get Any Worse

Ever have a day when you wondered if heaven forgot you?  This story is about Teasha's bad day that turned worse and then became the worst.  This was back when Teasha and I had been on a few dates, so Teasha still worked at the vet clinic.  We had dated but that didn't mean we were officially a couple.  Still, maybe some of it is my fault since Teasha and I were probably up until midnight the night before on a date.  The next morning she was running just a little late.

And to make matters worse she was out of gas.  This was back when you could get gas and pay the cashier inside.  Except there was a long line ahead of her.  Finally when Teasha got to the cashier she gave him the ten bucks and ran out.  Her goal to make it on time was ruined.  She had read her scriptures, but it seemed like Joshua's promise "for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8) wasn't going to work for today.

At work Teasha had two bosses:  The vet, and the vet's wife.  The wife was sometimes rather mean, and this day was no exception.  At one point the phone rang for the vet's wife, and she sent Teasha out so she could chat in private, telling her to clean the kennels.  When the kennels were done the vet's wife said Teasha needed to do another painful chore, and commented that she would need to work faster.  She was the type that was rarely pleased.  Teasha was ordered to begin the clean up ten minutes before closing time.  When 5:00 finally came the vet's wife told her she had caused problems all day and it would be best if she just left.

Teasha should have been glad to go home early, but no one likes to be told they are doing everything wrong, and then at the end of the day to be told they weren't worth their wages.  The lord said, " Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." (2 Nephi 1:20)  Teasha was trying her best, then why did she feel more cut off than prosperous?

At least she could go home and relax.  She got into her old Volkswagon Panelwagon (imagine a green loaf of bread).  As she pulled onto the main road the red and blue police lights flashed behind her.  Was God cursing her for something?  This day can't get any worse!  She knew she hadn't sped, she had her seat belt on, what was the problem.  The officer swaggered up to her window with that "Just try and see how tough I am" attitude.  Officer Callison asked Teasha for her ID.  As he was sauntering away Teasha asked, "Officer, can I ask what the problem is?"

"Ma'am, a vehicle matching this description bought gas today and didn't pay for it.  Have you bought gas recently?"
"Uh, yeah, this morning."
"Did you get a receipt?"
"Um..... no"
"Ma'am, we take gas skips very seriously.  If you buy gas without paying that is a serious offense."
And the officer walked back to his car.

Isaiah said, "the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him." (Isaiah 30:18).  But the longer Teasha's day went, the worse it got.  She said it couldn't get any worse, but now the day had officially bottomed out.  Here she was on the main road with people she knew driving past about to be arrested because that clerk stole her money that morning.  Being falsely accused will make anyone angry, and after the kind of day Teasha had her emotions were close to the surface.  Still, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." (James 1:2)  Maybe Teasha just needed to wait for the Lord's help a little longer and she would see He had a greater plan for her the whole time.  She decided she would brave the future and trust the Lord to explain why she was going through such trials eventually.

After a very long time Officer Callison came back and told Teasha she was parked too close to the busy road, and she would need to pull off onto a side street.  When she parked on a deserted avenue he told her to get into his patrol car to take her to the gas station and sort the mess out.  He invited her to sit in the passenger seat since she wasn't being treated as a criminal.  She sat down next to a huge shotgun to the policeman's side.  He started the car and they drove to where the gas station was on the edge of town.

"So, you're name is Teasha?  Do you have any plans for tonight?"

The sing song way he was speaking made the hair on Teasha's neck stand on end.  "the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth" (John 15:26).  Teasha felt he was not asking just to make conversation.


"Yes, I have plans, thanks for asking."
"Oh?  Do you have a boyfriend then?"
"I've been dating a guy named Scott"
"Yeah, so are you serious, or would you consider going with other guys?"
"No, I am serious, he's my boyfriend and I'm not interested in looking at other guys."
Then Teasha noticed they had just passed the gas station, which was the last gas station on that road heading out of town.

Suddenly this bad day has gone beyond trials and problems.  Now Teasha is in more trouble than she has the power to handle on her own.  When those times come, (and I can promise you they will) there is a source we can turn to.  Teasha was furiously praying in her heart for help.  The Lord will choose how to answer, but I promise he will always answer that prayer.  She had wondered if her bad day was part of a greater plan.  The Lord told Joseph Smith "if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (D&C 122:7).  She prayed in faith that help would come, and that there was a greater plan that she couldn't see.

I promise there was.  Because I helped plan it.

You see, Teasha and I had been on several dates, but it was time for something different.  Maybe something funny, exciting, and tricky.  If you know my personality you won't be that surprised with what I thought of.  I asked my mom (who's maiden name is Callison) if Uncle Carl was still part of the municipal police.  Turns out he was.

Uncle Carl said he would be willing to pull this girl over, but he got off work at 5:00, and he couldn't do it before then, and he couldn't stay as a cop when he was off duty, so it had to be exactly at 5:00 or it wouldn't work.  I called the vet clinic.  The vet's wife answered.

"Hey, this is Scott.  I'm the one that's been dating Teasha.  Is she there?  I wanted to plan something secretly."
So the vet's wife shooed her out of the office by making her clean the kennels.
"Ok, she's gone, what are you planning?"
"My uncle is a cop.  I'd like to pull her over just for fun, but it would have to be right at 5:00.  Is that possible?"
"Just for fun?  If a guy I was dating had done that to me I would be ticked!  Of course I'm in on this.  We'll try to rush the clean up as best we can, but I can kick her out right at 5:00."

So when Teasha was kicked out of work at 5:00 I was in the back of my uncle's patrol car.  We watched her get into the panel wagon, and as she drove off we swooped in.  When Carl pulled her over he looked me,
"Scott, we've got an issue.  What do I say she did?  She wasn't speeding, she stopped at the stop sign, what do I say?"
"I dunno!  You're the cop, what do you pull people over for?"
"Umm.... let's do the gas skip, that should be interesting."

Peeking from the back of the car I saw him swagger to the car.  When he came back he was grinning,
"You'll never believe it!  She actually bought gas this morning!!  What luck.  Hey, she's a cute one too, make sure you hold on to this one.  Are you guys officially 'dating' dating?"
"Well, I don't think we're boyfriend/girlfriend yet, but I sure wouldn't mind if we were."
"All right, do you want me to ask her?"
"NO!  Don't you dare!  I'd die.  What if she says no?  Just take her to the Arby's on the outskirts of town where I've got a car parked."
"Are you sure?  I really think I could get her to talk about you..."

So it took us a good while to resolve our argument.  In the end he agreed to not discuss our dating situation, and I agreed to not throttle him with his own pair of handcuffs.

"So, you're name is Teasha?  Do you have any plans for tonight?"
Long pause.  I am going to throttle Uncle Carl.  I can tell where he's going.

"Yes, I have plans, thanks for asking."
"Oh?  Do you have a boyfriend then?"
I knew it.  Let me die.  I probably deserve this for playing such a mean trick on Teasha.

"I've been dating a guy named Scott"
"Yeah, so are you serious, or would you consider going with other guys?"
"No, I am serious, he's my boyfriend and I'm not interested in looking at other guys."

I popped up from the back seat, "Wow!  That is so awesome to hear!"

Teasha turned to face me and passed through several emotions from anger to relief and excitement to exasperation.  Ten minutes later we discussed her bad day over milkshakes.  Turns out once she saw the plan from the other side everything made sense, and things that seemed to be so bad that day weren't actually as bad as she thought.  Some of them were actually leading to good things.  I have learned that when my day goes from bad to horrible to worst if I am patient and wait on the Lord eventually I will see how they have been to my benefit.  Maybe preparing me for something later in life, maybe something I needed to learn about myself.  Once I see the Lord's view of the whole plan I understand how God has never left me alone, and it gives me more strength to wait for the answers to prayer the next time I find myself in a day that can't possibly get any worse.