Yesterday was quite dramatic to say the very least. Before I dive into the details, I have to warn you that I can get a bit dramatic when telling a story. All of the events are true, some names may be changed and some exaggeration may occur, but yesterday was indeed an adventure!
Although these events I am about to describe did not happen directly to me, they did affect me. They actually happened to my boyfriend; however I was present for most of the time in the passenger’s seat, so let’s just say I was the co-pilot.
My boyfriend’s car, Joanne, had been acting up these past few weeks. Nothing really serious though, no tire trouble or engine failure, mostly winter blues resulting in a frosted and snapped-off rear door handle limiting access to the rear seats, and an iced-up driver’s side keyhole. Fun times. Although these were only minor problems for Joanne, yesterday things got epic.
Tim has a parking permit at the university we attend that allows him to park at one end of campus while his classes are all at the other end. Not as convenient as parking in the over-flow parking lot which is right next to the building Tim’s classes are in. Not as inconvenient as a parking ticket. Since receiving a parking ticket in the over-flow lot and the permit to park on the other side of the universe wasn’t working out, Tim started parking Joanne at his friend’s house which is a short ten minute walk to campus. Good stuff. Yesterday, however we woke to a significant amount of snow piled onto an already snow-covered city which resulted in Tim’s friend’s driveway being in an unparkable state, which caused Tim to leave Joanne sitting on the side of the road he went to class. Part way through the day Joanne uses her telekinetic power to notify Tim that he had just received a parking ticket. With the sudden realization that a parking ticket was possible during 34 hours following a significant snowfall, Tim rushed back to re-park his car in hopes of not yet receiving a second parking ticket of the semester. Too late!
Tim can handle a parking ticket because Tim is a man. (I’m not saying women can’t handle parking tickets, I’m just saying Tim is a man.) So $30 later, Joanne is safely in the driveway and Tim is back to class. After class, at about 5pm – also known as supper time, Tim and I were driving home in rush hour, (never a good time), and as we approached a cool sports bar with a really good wings menu we realized how hungry we were and how cheap wings were that particular night. Why not? Wing night it is! May I say, our supper was thoroughly enjoyed! As we got to Joanne after we ate, Tim passed me the keys so I could unlock the door on the passenger’s side, he said “start ‘er up” as he brushed the freshly fallen snow off Joanne. I put the key in the ignition and turned. Rggg-rgg... Rgg-rg. Joanne had slipped into CAR-diac arrest! How can that be? We had just driven from school to the restaurant and she was fine.
PADDLES, WE NEED THE PADDLES! First instinct was: “We need a boost, who can we call?” I called my roommate to see if her boyfriend was over and could possibly give us a hand. However, I managed to get some random dude who instead of answering my question of “who am I speaking with”, asked me who I was and who I was looking for. Thanks man. Next in line was my other roommate’s boyfriend, who didn’t answer his phone, so I called my roommate, she didn’t answer her phone either. I decided on trying to call my brother, who I thought was on duty anyhow so I didn’t think he would answer his phone. Guess I was right. Sitting in the car, freezing cold, not a gig. We’re going to die! Finally we called another friend who was either very selfless or had no life and was able to come down to give us a boost. THANK YOU!
Waiting for Phillip* to come was cold. I was shivering and was very grateful when he finally arrived. (He wasn’t actually that long, it just felt that way because of the cold.) Tim had pulled Joanne into the parking spot unaware of her illness so we had to slip her in neutral and push her back to get close enough to Phillip’s car to get some power. Speaking of power, power-steering doesn’t work so great when your batter’s dead! While reversing I had turned the wheel as much as I could to the right so we could possibly drive on once the car got started, however, I did not realize that Phillip had parked to the right of us and (thanks to me) we had to pull back in to the parking spot so I could back out in the other direction. Sorry guys.
Once we had Joanne lined up with Phillip’s car, the guys hooked the cars up and waited for a charge. About to start Joanne up, very exciting! Not so exciting, she’s in a coma. After several attempts and slow advances to finally having Joanne running again, she’s still not feeling 100%. Her lights kept dimming and she was very sluggish responding to the accelerator.
When we finally believed we had enough juice to get us going Tim decided purchasing a new battery was the best thing to do. Off to Canadian Tire! On the road Joanne kept showing signs of returning to her comatose state. At stop lights Tim would slip her into neutral to rev Joanne and keep her awake. Come on, Joanne, you can do it!
On the Canadian Tire parking lot we were a little weary about leaving Joanne stationary so I was designated to loop around the parking lot while Tim purchased a new battery. After seven laps I stopped counting, I knew I was going to win. First place all the way! Couldn’t even see the cars behind me. Then the salt truck and six other cars decided to visit the Canadian Tire/Mark’s Work Warehouse parking lot simultaneously, diminishing my NASCAR success and making Joanne’s lights dim once again as she idled. I’m not a sore loser though; I continued lapping until Tim made it out with a new battery in hand and we were off to Tim’s house.
The road to Tim’s house is generally brightly lit. There are about 21 car dealerships. (Trust me, I’ve counted.) However, there is this small section of road between the city and the town where Tim lives that a street light does not exist. What do you think happens on this small section of road? Hmm? You’ve guessed it, Joanne passed out and sent us rolling into darkness with slushy road shoulders and other traffic whizzing by, we were so close to home. A dangerous situation to be in with a black car lacking lights, if I do say so myself.
Since our original distress calls, two of the three people who did not answer their phones had returned my call, we had ample help, but what could be even do? Joanne had passed out while in motion, not sounding so much like a battery problem. In any case, Tim decided on requesting his roommate come to our rescue with his tool kit so he could change the battery in hopes of the new one having enough juice to get us home. Tim got to work in the dim lighting of a Ford Escape’s reverse lights. Enough light for a man to change a battery!
With Tim in the driver’s seat and my fingers and toes crossed, he turned the key and Joanne stirred from her slumber. HOORAY! We took off down the road, hoping all would go well. Hoping. Joanne hadn’t fully recovered and her power-steering wasn’t working correctly. Each turn we made, I held on tighter and tighter, counting them down and praying a pedestrian wasn’t in the street. Within two minutes we were strategically in Tim’s driveway, Joanne parked and ready to be worked on in the morning.
Tim decided it would be a good idea to take the new battery out of the car for the night since it wasn’t fully charged and would probably completely drain throughout the frosty night. During the operation and with much consideration of the evening’s events, Tim thought the dead battery wasn’t the issue and it had more to do with the alternator. Oh the joys of spending $130 on a battery that is non-refundable to realize the problem is significantly more expensive. On another note, time for an exhausted Tim to finish a project and study before bed! Yay!
This morning, after sleeping past an incorrectly set alarm Tim arose to see if Joanne was feeling better. In the morning light, she was indeed: Tim noticed a belt missing connecting to the alternator; this could be an easier, way less expensive problem! This afternoon Tim purchased an alternator belt for $18-$25 and replaced it in the evening. Joanne is alive and stable; however she will be closely monitored for the next few weeks. Let’s all keep her in our thoughts and prayers!
Well, that was definitely an adventure! I hope you enjoyed reading my re-telling/writing of yesterday’s events. For a less-dramatic, more-true version visit Tim’s blog: http://walkingwithspoons.blogspot.com/2011/02/car-troubles.html
Peace!
i like your version better, no offence tim, it just has more action! nice exaggerating, katrina! A++!