T.G.I...oh, F!
September 11, 2010
Okay, so last weekend - actually, on the way to the airport to pick up Mir - the engine light came on in my van. ALERT ALERT ALERT! I called Clay, who said, "hmm. Is it running okay?" It was, so he said to just keep going, and he'd take it in to be checked out later.
Well, we had guests and everything was crazy so the plan was to take it in this weekend. It was running FINE, after all.
Yesterday I picked up Tre from school. He sat in the back, so he could properly adore Sophia, and he was telling me about his day as I pulled out of the parking lot onto a street so busy that it's known around town as "the widow maker." I just TOTALLY made that last part up. But it SHOULD be known as "the widow maker."
Anyhow, I got about halfway out into the closest lane, stepped on the gas, and something in the gears went SLIP. And then...I don't know, I had a functioning engine, and I had perfectly good wheels, but nothing seemed to be connecting them anymore. I pressed down on the gas, and the engine went WHEEEEEE, but nothing happened. Cars whizzed around me, horns blaring. One particularly energetic gentleman got stuck in the lane right by me, and used his time to roll down his window and call me several names in a screamy, vein-bulging sort of way. Because, you know, I WAS SITTING THERE JUST FOR FUN.
I put it in reverse and tried again, and it said WHEEEEE, but again - nothing. Which is probably a good thing, because the people in line to pull out behind me had helpfully pulled up right on my bumper, so it wasn't like I could back up anyhow.
"Tre," I said, TOTALLY NOT PANICKING, "you're going to have to push the van." He scrambled out and took his place behind the van and PUSHED. Which - God bless him - I don't know what I was thinking. It's a massive minivan, and it was pointed slightly uphill, and it was absolutely ridiculous. Later he said, "Yeah, that was GREAT. I moved the van INCHES."
But then people came to our rescue. A mom screamed the cars back and out of our way behind us, big men appeared out of nowhere and shoved on the front of us, and we got the van maneuvered safely into the parking lot. May their lives be long and car trouble free.
And now the van is at the shop, and I am several years older. But it's not like this story is without its share of hope and joy, because what the van needs is a new transmission. So. At least it's a cheap and easy repair. *weep*
Oh F, indeed. :( It was, um, nice of the van not to conk out while on the way to the airport or the fondue place, though.... *ducking*
Posted by: Mir | September 11, 2010 at 01:04 PM
*winces* We had to replace my van's transmission last year. So VERY scary when you are in the middle of the road with a car that won't move. I would bey extremely happy if I never had to experience that particular nastiness again.
Posted by: Jennifer | September 11, 2010 at 02:04 PM
I give Tre the Nobel Push prize - that's that prize for heroic pushing. What a guy!
Posted by: Amma Always | September 11, 2010 at 02:42 PM
I love nice strangers (especially big ones that move your car and babies out of a busy road). If it makes you feel better my engine light has been on for a year and a half. So far so good but I am just waiting for the day it makes a final cough and dies. I just mean, you wouldn't want to be HASTY about bringing a car in for an old engine light. Sounds like you waited just the right amount of time give or take a turn onto the "widow maker".
Posted by: Em | September 11, 2010 at 07:29 PM
Ugh, I hate it when people yell at you when you are having car trouble. Like you willed your car to break down just where it is inconvenient for them!
One day I was driving all and my battery just decided to turn itself off so my power steering went, I couldn't turn on my hazards, nothing. And as I was trying to get over, people were honking at me and giving me the finger. I was like look obviously, I do not want to be rolling along at whatever speed my car has picked up enough momentum to drive at while trying to turn my wheel as hard as I can to get over. This is not a driving choice!
Posted by: Anna | September 12, 2010 at 07:36 AM
And may the lives of people who screamed as if you were doing it on purpose be dramatically shortened when their inappropriate anger causes them to burst a blood vessel.
Okay, fine, I will not curse anyone with DEATH, but how about THIS: let their inappropriate anger cause a small and non-fatal stroke or heart attack which will then open their eyes to their behavior and cause them to wince with shame every time they think of it, for the rest of their kind, empathetic lives.
Posted by: Swistle | September 12, 2010 at 07:54 AM
Well, I'm very glad this ended up being a car breakdown story, and not a car accident story!
And I second what Swistle said.
Posted by: Aimee | September 13, 2010 at 08:39 AM
A couple of months ago my shifter cables broke and stranded me but AAA picked me up quickly and my mechanic fixed the problem quickly and with only mild damage to my check book. Problem was they had to fix the problem 3 times before they got it right. Good news is that God is indeed good and every time I broke down it was some place where no one could get hurt or yelled at and it was also in places where is wasn't so bad to wait for the tow.
Posted by: Amy | September 13, 2010 at 03:19 PM
I feel your pain - I live in a city of bridges. One of those bridges is a giant hump in the middle and the emergency lanes were quite skinny (they have expanded the bridge since then). My worse nightmare was to be the person broke down and stopping traffic and Guess what, my engine blew just over the top of that span and I stopped traffic. It's scary especially when the kids are with youas mine were. Glad everyone is okay!
Posted by: Pamela L | September 13, 2010 at 05:16 PM