So... tonight, when I got off work, I came home to take care of my boys. I fed them, watered them, played with them, got them set for the evening, and then I got ready to go. I was supposed to be spending the evening with Philip and Richard. We were going to go bowling. I've been looking forward to it. I've wanted to go bowling for weeks. And besides that, tonight is Richard's last night in town. He probably won't be back until this summer.
So, I head out the door. I look down at my odometer and realize that I need to fill up my tank before I drive into Charlotte. I briefly think about what a downer it would be to break down in Charlotte. I drive to the gas station I always use. It's about a mile away from our house. I fill up my tank. The gas is a little higher than it has been. I have to spend $18 to fill up. It's been around $14-15. So, I was a little disappointed. I think about how awesome it is that I am disappointed about $18 when it wasn't that long ago that I had to spend $40 or more to fill up my car. :)
Then, I get into my car. I put the key in the ignition. I turn the key. Nothing happens. I take a deep breath and try again. Nothing happens. I take another deep breath and try again. Again, nothing happens. I try to relax. I think about who I can call. Joe is on his way back from Virginia and still hours away. No help there. I call him anyway to tell him what's going on. He says he'll try to get to me, but it'll be a while. He was supposed to be meeting me at Philip's later on. I tell him to just go on to Philip's and I'll call our neighbors. They are, after all, the only people that we actually know in Shelby. I remember that Jay's van was gone when I left. So, he would be of no help to me.
So, I walk into the gas station and wait in line. The cashier was very friendly. I explained that my car wouldn't turn over and that I needed someone to give me a jump. She said that she couldn't jump me, but recommended I ask the gentleman at the diesel pump on the other side of the building. It was a tow truck driver. He was towing a truck back to the UPS facility, but he had to fill up first. I asked him if he could give me a jump. He came over to take a look at my car (on the other side of the building). He played with some wires for a few minutes and asked me to give it a try. It still didn't work. So, he told me to get into the car and put it in neutral. Then, he pushed my car all the way around to his truck.
I couldn't believe how nice he was to me. He hooked up the jumper cables to my car and told me to crank it. Still nothing. We did this for a while and still nothing. He thought that maybe it was my starter. I asked him if he could possibly give me a tow or if he could call someone from his company to give me a tow. He said that he had to drop off the truck he was currently towing and then he'd be back to get me. I asked him if he took credit cards and he said yes. Then, he pushed my car out of the way.
He left and came back a few minutes later. He hooked my car up and we were on our way. It was only a mile or two away from my house, so it took only a few minutes. He unhooked my car from his truck and told me that he wasn't going to charge me. I thanked him profusely (as I did through this whole ordeal) and told him that it wasn't necessary and that I could pay. He refused and said that he was coming that direction anyway (lies! he had to go way out of his way to come back and pick me up!). But, I accepted. I got his card and he gave me a reference for a garage in Shelby to work on my car. I told him that I would probably need a tow when I had to take it to the garage (if it still wouldn't start).
This man made my night quite a bit brighter. :) It could have been a LOT worse. I feel really bad, though, because I don't even know his name. I assumed that it would be on the business card, but it was just a general business card for the company he worked for. I'm going to find out his name and send him a thank you card.
Good news on top of it all: Joe changed the battery yesterday (it was very old... like as old as my car), and my car started right up. :) YAY!!!
2 comments:
wow...scary! at least, i would be scared. cuz i dont know anything about cars. remember on the way back from chimney rock when my car was acting up and i freaked out? :) thats so great that the guy was so nice. i'm glad you're so lucky!
I would normally freak out, too. I'm so glad I wasn't in Gastonia. I would have just locked myself in my car and waited the few hours for Joe to come save me! lol
I'm sure my mom was ready to kill me when I told her that I asked a stranger for help. To be fair, he was a tow truck driver, so I would have had to call someone like him anyway. I'm just glad that he was so wonderfully helpful!
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