Solved in an Instant

Dearest Rachel –

Well, it’s not as if it’s the most interesting that could be told, but it’s pretty much the only storyline that’s been going on around me for the last couple of days, so it will have to do; the conclusion (maybe?) to the whole saga of me getting myself basically locked in at home, thanks to the car’s battery dying. In some respects, there isn’t a whole lot to tell that hasn’t already been said; everything went according to plan, more or less, and I’m back on my feet – or would that be “back on my wheels”? – but now I have to decide whether to take further action before the real cold snap comes on, and if so, when I’ll be able to do that.

It so happened that I would have probably been better off calling up the auto association before heading out to the gym, because it’s no longer a case of having to stay on the phone waiting for someone to get to me. Thanks to smartphone technology, a non-emergency call like this can be scheduled within a two-hour window; had I tried earlier in the day, I could have arranged someone to come around at about noon or so yesterday, and just gotten on with the day. As it was, by the time I got home, the first window available wasn’t until at least two in the afternoon, which, while not quite when I would be leaving the ‘office’ on a normal day, was a lot closer to it than I’d prefer. And with the next couple of windows surrounding when Daniel and I would be at the folks’ for dinner, I decided I would just wait until we got back home to schedule the visit… say, around eight. It would be later than I’d like to be dealing with this, but as it was warmer than it had been the day before, it was still tolerable.

Besides, it wasn’t as if we couldn’t get over to the folks together. Daniel still drives your car, even though I sometimes feel like I ought to get him a vehicle more suited for him –and put “your” car in the garage, like the museum piece it is. But the fact of the matter is that your car still runs perfectly fine, so I figured I’d have him drive us over there. We even got there early, which worked out well, since Dad was going to be leaving early to attend the monthly board meeting at church; this way, we had time to visit beforehand – which meant catching up on these plans to get the car dealt with. Dad, in particular, always has advice on these sorts of things, although once I caught him up with the plans I had, seemed satisfied with what I’d lined up.

We got back home with an hour to spare, and while Daniel and Logan adjourned to the family room, I hung out in the bedroom like I usually do, waiting for eight o’clock to roll around. At some point before that, I heard the phone vibrate; it was the dispatcher, trying to get ahold of me. He’d been calling me on your phone for some time (and actually finally tried my number a few minutes prior but I hadn’t heard the phone at that point, for some reason), but only gotten your voice. Interestingly enough, apparently he was able to leave a message – meaning that your mailbox isn’t full – not that anyone is going to get to that message at any point.

In any event, he was calling to let me know that the serviceman wouldn’t be by until at least nine, and would I be okay with that, since I was likely going to need to keep the car running for some time after that. Well, what was I going to say: “no, never mind, I don’t want the help if it requires me to stay up that late”? Besides, it was still within the window I could be expecting him to drop by. I acquiesced.

And sure enough, twenty minutes before nine, I got a text letting me know that the serviceman was on his way, and I could even track his progress as he drove to the house. With a minute or two before he was to arrive, I stepped outside to show him the car… only to find myself looking at an empty scene in front of the house. What few headlights that passed by were of ordinary cars, and not of the service vehicle I was expecting. While I pondered this, I felt my phone ring yet again.

“Yeah, I’m outside of the house, if you can come out and show me which car needs a jump. Is it the white one?” He sounded tired or weary; at least I hoped so, because I really didn’t want to jump to conclusions as to the tone of his voice as he mumbled his request of me.

“Ah… no, you’re not here at all. I think you might be at the house on the north side of Campbell.” You’ll recall that there’s a house with the same number and address, but a few blocks north of the dividing line in our town. We’ve gotten their mail, and occasionally a pizza or two, which is good for a laugh, but a bit of a nuisance when you’re expecting a delivery or a visit and they go to the opposite house. This was one of those times. The fellow blamed his GPS, but I suspect he didn’t specify whether north or south, and simply assumed the first option he’d been presented with was the right one. At least, since it’s happened in the past, it’s easy to give someone the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, when he did head down toward our house, he drove past the place, only turning around when he got to Grove.

He actually had to call again. “Can you see me?”

“Yes, I’m waving at you, in fact.” At this point, I was on the apron of the driveway, so he could theoretically see me.

“Oh yeah… there you are.” And he drove over and pulled in.

At this point, I was wondering what I might be in for in terms of time, but rather than getting out jumper cables and hooking my car’s battery to his, he got out of his truck, reached in the back, and pulled out a red box, about the size of an overnight bag, and hooked it up to the battery. “Now… start your car.”

Just like that? No preamble, no time to charge the battery? Well, he was supposed to be the expert, so I got in and turned the key per his instructions… and the car immediately roared to life. I was shocked at how fast that little red box worked. He reminded me to keep the thing running for some 45-60 minutes to let the battery charge up, got back in his truck (“yeah, they don’t bother with paperwork anymore,” he mumbled when I proffered my AAA card) and drove off, his work here finished.

That took so long to arrange – relatively speaking – and got solved in an instant. If only more of life could be like that – well the latter part, anyway.

Of course, now I have to consider replacing that battery regardless; the weekend is going to get back into the single digits (one more reminder about how I’m wanting to get out of town to where it’s warmer!), and I can’t run the risk of having the thing die on me while in the booth. I’ve made arrangements to get it to the dealership tomorrow – unfortunately, it’s not as if I could just pop in, get the thing replaced, and be on my way this evening on my way home from Harms Wood or anything – but I’m going to be short on time tomorrow. It’s still better than being frozen out at church, though.

Still, no matter what happens, I think I could stand having you keep an eye on me, honey, and wishing me luck. I’m definitely going to need it.