Tuesday, December 1, 2009

*thank God for good Samaritans!*


Yesterday I stopped @ our local A.C. Moore to pick up something to make a Christmas gift. (can't say what 'cuz I have family who read my blog) So I am getting a kind of warm fuzzy feeling inside thinking about how much this gift is going to be appreciated as I headed out to my car *in the rain I might add* The skies were gray, but I was feeling kinda sunshine & roses :)
That is until I got into my car.... and it wouldn't start....

Now I generally LOVE my car, it's a Jeep Laredo and it has NEVER given me a moment of trouble. That is until yesterday.

Now I looked @ the time and it was 3:30- I knew my daughter had to be @ work by 4:00 so I called her quick... and asked her to come help me jump start the car. She was like "but I have to be @ work in a half hour" to which I said... call work & tell them I am sitting in this parking lot with a dead car- I guarantee you they will not get mad....*which they weren't* So there we were... me & Jenny (who is 21) in the rain... trying to jump start my car.... which I have only ever done alone once before my whole life...

I guess I should paint the scene for you... a steady drizzle... the hood of my car would NOT stay up- it does not have one of those bar things it just stays up on it's own, but since I was on a slight grade it kept dropping shut... so I am standing there trying to hold up the hood while at the same time hold the live ends of the jumper cables apart...meanwhile Jenny is standing there watching...*looking cute but just watching*
Did I mention that I accidentally let the black and red touch for a millisecond before dropping them to the ground? They aren't kidding... DO NOT let them touch.....sparks & everything...

Jen: *after seeing the sparks and watching me drop the cables* "Mom be careful"
Me: "Will you just hold up the damned hood for me before I kill myself"?
Jen: "But I thought you wanted me to open up my hood?"
Me: "oh yeah.. do that"
So she tries... & she can't get her hood up... *are ya kidding me?.. God must have a wicked sense of humor*
It was at this point that an older gentleman and his wife stopped and asked if we needed help- I told them I didn't know yet... with that his wife nudged him and he got out of the car and kind of took over... *thank God for good Samaritans!*
Well he couldn't get Jenny's hood up either... so he had Jenny move her car and he pulled his in to try and jump it.
Good Samaritan: "are you sure it's the battery?"
Me: "uh no...I have no idea what's wrong with it"
Good Samaritan: *to Jenny* "you might want to move back"
Jenny- eyes HUGE now...moving away...
Good Samaritan:"Just try it again before I try to jump it."
Me- " ok"... *nothing happens*
Good Samaritan: "it must be your starter"

So with that I thanked  them and they left... Jenny drove me home and I had to call for a tow.
Now I haven't had to have a car towed in over 20 years, holy shit... $65 just to show up and then a dollar a mile after that. I had them tow it to the car place across the street, *too badd I didn't have JJ with me- we could've pushed it and saved the $68*
So I get hold of the towing company and they tell me they can be there in a half hour. So I have to drive back there to give them keys... I had to do something that I am sure drove my hubby crazy. I had to drive his porsche back to the scene of the crime parking lot. So I call hubby...
Me:" Uh hon, I have to drive the porsche over to the Giant because my car is dead."
Him: *silence*     "why can't Jenny drive you?"
Me:" because she had to go to work"
Him: *sigh* "well ok -but BE CAREFUL" *side note, this car is kept in the garage, covered and used only on *nice* days*
So with that I go out to the garage take off the cover etc from the car and try to start *Roxy* (his name for the car)...
It won't start....
are you f*cking kidding me?
I look up and say "is this some kind of test?"
Then try again and Roxy starts *Thanks God*
So I get to the parking lot and the tow guy starts trying to get my car out of the parking space...I was standing there watching & asking do you need help? And with that out of no where two gentlemen come over to help.
They were very nice and really were a help. So the one man says "I guess you get to ride in this fancy tow truck", to which I explain about having to drive Roxy and how she's kept under a cover etc. and since it was an emergency I was allowed to drive it.
Both men look at each other and say "does your husband know it's raining?"

*Pause* Is this a guy thing? I mean... who the hell cares if it was raining? My damned car was dead.
So end result- it WAS my battery and it is being fixed today and should be ready by the time I am done with work.
By the time I got home I was beat...so I made a drink.. took a hot tub and vegged out in front of the t.v. till I fell asleep.

So when it's all said and done I will probably be about $200 poorer but I guess the real reason I began this blog is that the thing that stuck with me and that even now puts a smile on my face is this...

Now a days in our society people are so busy, and it often seems like it is every man for themselves- ... I had 3 people stop and ask me if I needed help... not just one.. but 3... kinda restores your faith  that people are inherently nice. :)

Hey... I'm getting that sunshine & roses fuzzy feeling again... *smile*

2 comments:

  1. As I rarely go out, I find myself amazed in this crazy busy world how generous people can be when they see me limping or holding on to something to get along in a store.

    The other day Pooldad dropped me off in front of Home Depot so I could walk a shorter distance and when I got out of the van I saw the line of cars behind him and thought "Uh oh". Well, my gait is pretty noticeable and the guy in the first car gave me a huge thumbs up while he waited for me to stumble across the street when I waved thanks to him.

    It made my day.

    [Yes, not as dire as your situation, but made me smile too]

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  2. hi. I'm the sicko with the weird sense of humor that stalks Smart Mouth and reeks havoc at her place whenever I get a chance. I had to come check you out to see who appreciates my humor. Ha! Sounds like you had a bad day but managed to put a nice ending on the entire ordeal. Drink, hot tub, veg out.....and be thankful that in this crazy world, there are still great people out there. :)

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