9:15 am—Somewhere in Pennsylvania along the New Jersey Turnpike

Apparently, his definition of impulsive had also shifted as he grew older, Lee Stetson thought to himself as he stood next to the smoking 2001 Porsche Boxster he had rented for his trip. He had stopped off at the hotel for a quick six hours of sleep before being "impulsive."

He supposed he should just have enjoyed the rest of his day in the Big Apple and caught his plane as scheduled instead of changing the terms of his agreement with the rental company and driving the Porsche back to Arlington. But the thought of staying that city much longer just made him anxious. He wanted to be home with his wife and daughter, and even a couple of extra hours would have been too many.

Now, however, he was stuck in the middle of nowhere, awaiting AAA's service vehicles with little cell reception to speak of. He'd had to walk down the road a bit before he reached a gas station with a landline he could use. That had been over an hour ago. He'd also called the car rental company and demanded another car. It wasn't his fault that the engine had begun to smoke and wouldn't turn over!

As a result, he was awaiting not just a tow truck, but a replacement vehicle from one of the Philadelphia area rental agencies, unable to communicate his plans with his wife since he'd received a busy signal on the house phone and had been forced to leave a voicemail on Amanda's cell phone.

Yep, he should have just waited for his flight.