Sunday Morning Rush

“C’mon guys, we’re gonna be late!” yelled Ryan. He was pacing around in the living room, necktie swinging from side to side.

Because Ryan, Mickael and Ian didn’t have a car, they had agreed with Chris that they would carpool to church on Sundays. There was just one little problem. Chris was taking FOREVER to get ready!

“Chris, c’mon man, hurry it up! You’re taking longer than my sisters!” yelled Ian, banging on the door of the bathroom that Chris was using. A mumbled stream of words was the only response. Ian sighed in apparent disgust and walked back into the living room where Ryan was nervously checking his watch. A moment later, Chris finally left the bathroom, tugging his cuffs into place.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” he cried as he ran past them, threw the front door open and dashed out. The others just rolled their eyes and followed him to where he had his car parked. Fortunately, Chris owned a late model sedan, so there wouldn’t be any problems fitting everyone inside. They piled in, Chris started the car… or at least tried to. The starter strained to turn over, realized it was a futile gesture and gave up the ghost.

“Dude, is your car busted?” asked Mickael.

“No! It was working just fine yesterday!” growled Chris as he tried to start the car.

Ryan looked at his watch again, noting that they only had 10 minutes left until Sacrament meeting started.

Chris gave up trying to start the car, snarled something incoherent and popped the hood. After poking around in the engine for a few moments, he shouted for Ryan to try the starter. Ryan leaned over and twisted the keys and the car’s engine roared to life.

“You gotta be kidding me!” groaned Chris as he hopped back into the car, “There wasn’t anything wrong!”

“What’s the big deal? If we’re late, we’re late, at least we’ll get there,” said Ian a bit sourly. It seemed the rush was starting to sour everyone’s moods.

“Yeah well I like to be on time,” retorted Chris. Speaking of time, Ryan glanced at his watch again. Eight minutes to go.

Just as they tried to pull out of the Branbury’s parking lot, a car zoomed past them, nearly hitting the front bumper. Chris leaned on the horn and shouted out the window, “This is a neighborhood! Drive like it!”

Fortunately that was the only road incident that happened as they drove up to the BYU campus. It was only as they approached the parking lots, that another problem cropped up.

“Okay, so where does our Ward meet again?” asked Ryan.

“The Benson building, room 110,” replied Chris as he pulled up to the main intersection next to the Hinckley Building.

“Okay… the Benson building… Benson building… where IS the Benson building?” asked Ryan.

“Eh? You mean you don’t know?” said Mickael, flabbergasted.

“No! I go to UVU! I’ve only been to BYU once!”

“Well don’t ask me! I go to UVU as well,” growled Chris as he pulled into one of the main parking lots and then groaned, “Look at all these cars! It’s as busy as the weekdays! Besides, Ian goes here, ask him where the benson building is!”

“But I don’t have any classes around here! I don’t know where it is either!”

“You mean that NONE of us know where the building is?!” said Ryan incredulously.

“Let me think for a moment,” said Ian irritably.

“Well, until I find a parking spot, have all the moments you want,” replied Chris sarcastically.

Finally, he found an empty spot and pulled in right before another car could pull in. They climbed out of the car with Ian peeling off towards the Campus commons.

“C’mon, I think it’s this way!”

Ryan checked his watch again. Three minutes. Three minutes that ticked away as they scrambled around campus, trying to find the Benson building. Of course they were in such a rush that they didn’t think to just ask the people they passed by as to where the Benson building was. But finally they found it… right as Ryan’s watch hit 12:00.

“Relax guys,” grinned Chris, who seemed to be recovering his good humor, “Everyone runs on Mormon Standard Time around here, we’ll be fine.”

But as they walked into lecture hall 110, they noticed that it was rather on the empty side.

“Uh… where is everyone?” asked Ian as they glanced around the empty room.

“It was supposed to be at 12:00 right?” asked Mickael.

“Hey guys!” came a cheerful voice from behind them. They all turned around to find Rachel.

“What are you all doing here early? Do you need to see the Stake President?” she asked.

“Uh, no, we’re here for Sacrament,” replied Ryan hesitantly.

“Sacrament? That’s not for another hour. Why did you think it was at noon?” asked Rachel.

“Our home teachers told us,” groaned Ian.

“Well I don’t know why they would, we’ve always met at 1:00,” replied Rachel. Three boys groaned in chorus, Chris just laughed. “Well then, I guess we’re not late after all, “ Chris commented with a smile and a friendly wink aimed at the pretty Branbury co-ed.