We left at about 10 minutes before 5 because you could hear the rain pounding on the roof and I simply wanted to try to be on the road a few minutes before everyone else was, so I could just get home and get Bear.

I flipped my headlights on, put on my seatbelt and toddle on home.

About a block from the entry to the freeway, the one-way road adds an extra lane, so that people who are heading to the freeway we use, can avoid the people who are heading to the other overcrowded freeway. This road is a main thoroughfare and I purposely take the streets that have the lights on them to be able to get into traffic easily on this huge busy street. I got in that far left lane and was going at a reasonable speed (around 25 mph) for hideous rain and a city street and as I got to the intersection, I see a big white car with a little old lady driving it, heading for Mike. I move to the left to avoid her and gas it a little to try to scoot away, but she manages to hit my back passenger side, anyway, so I pull over and look over my shoulder in time to see her drive away.

It takes a minute to register that she's hit my car and driven away. I look in my mirror and big black Rav4 type vehicle is behind us stopped also, and I get out and ask if they saw anything. By some miracle, they have the license number and a make of the car that ran off and hit me. By some stroke of stupidity, I don't get their names and so forth, but for whatever reason, I remember the old woman's hair and the white boxy car. All night last night, as the rain pounded outside the window, I remembered her big wild gray hair and the white boxy car. We drive the car and it seems to be okay, but it's sheeting rain, and it's not until we get a little speed on the freeway (because there was no place to turn...the last road before the freeway was one way going the wrong direction...) and I can feel the back wheels wobbling. I take the next exit and we pull into one of these tiny 5-store strip malls.

I go in, looking as pregnant as can be, so as to gain the pity of someone who might allow me to use their phone. It works, and I use the phone and call the police, the insurance company and the tow truck. They start to close up shop, so we go next door and beg to use the phone of the Mexican restaurant, so that I can call Russell's daycare and someone to get Russell for me.

Mike had already tried to call, but the guy was all freaky about the phone. I went and looked the guy square in the eye, promised to use my phone credit card and told him he could stand there and watch me if he wanted to be sure, but that I just needed to get my son taken care of, so that I could relax. I am sure I mentioned being pregnant and I know I had the strain and panic in my face that only a mother can have because he relented and let me use the phone. Katie got Bear and I remembered to breathe.

So then we wait. And wait. And wait.

As we wait, it dawns on me that my back is aching and that my belly is contracting. I ask Mike if anything hurts. He rubs his back in the same place mine aches and I nod. He says it's not bad. I don't want to tell him because I don't want him to worry, but I do. "I'm having contractions."

We had thought the tow truck would be there well in advance of the policeman, but we were wrong. The policeman came and stayed for some time taking our statements. He was very young only a couple months younger than Mike, but he had this clean cut innocent look to his face, so he looked barely old enough to drink. Because it was a hit and run and because we both had sore backs, it became a felony hit and run. If our backs hadn't ached it would just have been a misdemeanor. I figured, it's a little old lady, though, so a felony won't mean much -- she might lose her license, but frankly, after her behavior, that was OK with me.

I simply couldn't believe that she'd taken off. It was stunning to me...beyond incredulity.

Mike made me take my sugars, so we ordered a couple of tacos.

Finally, after I called the insurance tow service and bitched them out that I'd had an accident, was 7 months pregnant and was having contractions and that the promised tow truck that was supposed to be there an hour ago still wasn't there, the goddamned tow truck got there about 10 minutes later.

The tow truck driver was by far the worst driver I'd ever seen. He pulled out of the lot, knowing that we had to go west on 80 and was in the lane to go east, so I gently said something about it and he changed lanes. He often didn't drive within the lanes of traffic and had a windshield wiper smearing black rubber and rain all over his window. I don't know if he could see. We had to give him the same instructions several times (turn left at the light, turn left at the light), he took a call while driving, which involved him writing something on a pad while the truck was still moving. He often sat at green lights until cars behind him honked in irritation. It was a terrifying ride and the whole time, my belly ached, my back hurt and I worried about Russell because I knew he'd be freaked out no matter what happened. Jaxana kicked me a few times, so I knew she was probably fine -- babies don't usually kick when you're in labor.

I made a couple calls when I got home. Asked Pauline for the use of the truck, if I needed to go to the hospital. Called a friend and cancelled plans in San Francisco for today. Called the doctor to ask about the aching belly. I cried at Mike because he was so shaken, he was avoiding me and I was scared and exhausted, trying to figure out how we'd pay the $500 deductible. And I kept missing the doctor. I called in one last time, and then waited. I fell asleep waiting and when the phone rang, I startled awake and it was the policeman who took our statement.

He is a very young man. He was terribly excited when he called and was pleased to let me know they caught the woman who was driving. Her car had damage and she'd essentially admitted to hitting our car. Apparently, she'd been fairly recalcitrant, however, because the policeman said they'd had to put her in jail because she'd been pretty uncooperative.

I told Mike,"Well, I guess we won't have to pay that $500 deductible afterall. They caught her."

I don't know if that's true or not, but I sure hope so. It would suck to have to take her to court. It sounds like she's caused herself enough trouble.

This morning, my belly still ached, so I called the doctor and she said to go to the birthing center and get monitored. I wasn't having contractions and my cervix was buttoned up tight, and Jax was doing the Jane Fonda superworkout. However, I'm under strict orders to lay around like a slug, take tylenol and do absolutely nothing.

Okay, so I'll go back to bed now.