Picture this, I’m sick with the flu, have a fever, stumble out of bed, grab a travel mug of coffee and head to the car to take our youngest son to school. Reaching to place my mug in the cup holder, the lid comes off, the mug tips and a third of its contents pour across my car. Laughing, cause there’s really nothing else to do, I ask my son for some napkins from the glove box and mop up the mess. Then the real fun begins.
I begin to back out of the garage. Everything is fine until…I turn the wheel. It’s then that I hear the distinct roll thump roll thwamp that accompanies a flat tire. I put the car in park, get out and walk around the vehicle. Much to my surprise, all four tires are fine. I circle the car again, wondering if my fever has made me miss the detail of a flat tire. I haven’t and get back in my car.
Now out of the garage, it’s a straight shot backing out of the long driveway. I do so, and the car responds without a problem. But as soon as I turn the wheel to pull onto the street, I again hear the distinct roll thump roll thwamp sound. Looking at my son to see if this is really happening or I’m imagining it, he raises an eyebrow and says, “That’s not right.”
Well, that settles it. I steer my injured vehicle back into my driveway and have our son get the keys to his sister’s car, hoping he won’t be late to school with the delays. We head out. I make it to his school, and he gets to class on time, thankfully.
Then I come home and wait for our daughter to awake. She’d had a rough night with our granddaughter, so they had gone back to sleep. They get up about an hour later, me having pecked away at work in the meantime. I hand my daughter my keys and have her move my car on the driveway, turning the wheel, etc, to duplicate the trouble, while I stand outside the car and watch. Sure enough, it takes several tries, but we get the problem to repeat. The passenger back rear tire hesitates then rapid spins…hesitates…then rapid spins again.
Back in the house, I call our mechanic then AAA and a tow truck is on the way. Waiting for it to arrive, I look out the front window and say, “What the heck?!”
Our daughter follows my line of vision, but I’ve already bolted out of my chair and am halfway to the garage. I open the garage door and spy our double gates, one of which is slightly ajar. I call up the driveway, for our dog that I’d seen out the window. But this is easier said than done, for I have no voice, and it’s a long driveway. I summon all the voice I can muster and call out her name again, hoping she won’t go into the street and get hit by a car. Thankfully, she hears me, turns and trots back. I secure her in the yard and wait for the tow truck driver to arrive.
The time isn’t even 11:30 AM and any visions of resting to get better have vaporized. Yup, that’s the way my day began, and the way it’s pretty much rolled throughout. And now, my car fixed and back with me, I’m about to go to a friend in need who shouldn’t be alone. She’s received some devastating news, and I want to be there to help her through it. Just another day in my crazy life. J
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