Bad Luck Hiking

So I started a new job as a hiking guide. The job is ridiculously chill, pays relatively well and I get to spend time out in nature will cool people. At first I was working as a guide and at the company's cafe and on my first day of training got splattered head to toe in bright red marinara sauce, the container of which my coworker ever-so-gracefully dropped at my feet. I took it as a sign that I just shouldn't do the cafe part of the job, and downsized to hiking-only. I've been training as a hiking guide the past few weeks and it's pretty great.

 Today I woke at the reasonable hour of 5 to leave my house at 6:15 to beat the morning rush to Waikiki. I walked into the cafe at 6:50 and it turns out that another guide who was supposed to be doing a 3-person hike was in the ER for some terrible allergic reaction, and my boss puppy-eyed me to do it for her. Sure, I was fine with it. Even though I'm not officially an employee yet. No worries.

So at 7:15 I drove in my boss' car to pick the guests up from their hotel. They greeted me cheerfully and were all set to hike. We were on our way back to the cafe to fill out the waivers and so forth, and two blocks away from the parking garage I see blue lights in my mirror, flashing. Seriously.... I'm getting pulled over, on my first hike (which by liability I'm technically not allowed to do yet), in my boss' car, because all the company vans were in use, with guests in the back seat. I was mortified. NEVER have I ever been more embarrassed—well yes I have, recently as a matter of fact, but that's another story— and it turns out that my boss' registration was expired and of course the cops decide to wait until the end of the year to fill their quota to stop the car. Ugh. I also had left my wallet containing my license in the cafe, a mere two blocks away.... The cop was amazingly friendly. It was the first time I've ever been pulled over, and I wasn't even at fault. Seriously... well the guests were good sports about it and tried to play off the "well, at least the cop is doing his job" tactic to soothe the awkward situation... at least they weren't upset at me. Well fine, so he wrote me a $140 ticket which my boss is going to be paying and we made our way back to the cafe. Filled out the forms and all that.. and the third person on the tour was missing. 35 minutes past arrival time and he hadn't shown up. So the poor couple who had to endure the police situation now had to wait an extra few minutes before we decided to leave without the 3rd in our party. I drove, completely paranoid about being pulled over again. 

The hike was nice, brief and the people were really friendly, tipped me well and the day ended smoothly. But I gotta say that I haven't had the best luck working for this company... It seems like every time something goes drastically wrong.