Why I Spent Five Hours in a Walmart Parking Lot – and LOVED It!

So I was working on edits for my summer release with Entangled Publishing. Things have been crazy around here, so I was having some trouble. I know, I know, we’re ALL busy. I’m not claiming that my life is more hectic than yours, or that, to use the phrase coined by hubby and his coworkers, “my gash is deeper than yours.” (Yeah, yeah, I hear it.)

What’s next, Boss?

Anyway, I was under the gun, hoping to finish in a week.

Unfortunately, this particular week included painters, junk haulers, carpet cleaners, weekend meetings, and oh, FATHER’S DAY!! 

I warned my family not to leave me alone when I was working. Don’t talk, don’t look at me, don’t call me unless someone was dying. (I was iffy on that. I mean, what am I going to do? If your number’s up, your number’s up.)

But still, every time I sat down, the phone rang. Or someone came to the door. Or a semi-urgent day-job message would pop into my in-box. 

And. Then. The. Dog. Barked.

And it wasn’t a Good Doggy bark, like a full bladder alert, or a scary guy notification, or a bug sighting. This was a half-hearted “wwwuuuf” like she thought something should be happening, but wasn’t.

Our other two dogs are smart. (See Smart Black Dog, above) They understand words, vocal tones, body language. The right look and they fall to the floor, waiting for the apocalypse, sad but certain that I am the only thing keeping them alive.

Wake me when it’s eatin’ time.

But this one (sweet, loving and cute as all get out) is blank as an unpainted wall. She thinks that when you grab her scruff and yell SHUT UP, SHUT UP BEFORE I KILL YOU, it means “Hey! Treat time!”

So, defeated, I left the house and drove, yes, to Walmart where, for the five hours I worked in my car. Uninterrupted. Anonymous. Phone off. Perfect temperature, perfect light, perfectly quiet homeless dudes politely ignoring me.

And there, fuelled by Pop-Tarts and Vitamin water, I powered through to the end.

At least I wasn’t inside.