A night on the town...............................

If you recall a few posts back, my youngest had some trouble with my truck when she borrowed it for one of her night classes. As we are saving up for some needed transmission work I opted to drop her off at class and then run a couple of errands with her car while waiting for her class to get over. You know where this story is headed don't you?

Since the arrival of new resident #2, I have had to pick up a few things for the bedrooms, one of them being a new area rug for the room that currently has a couple of throw rugs (dangerous with a walker). Once inside my favorite discount/markdown store I quickly found a first and second choice and headed to the counter to find out the prices. As I am waiting in line I found them on the back of the rugs. Choice one was $99 and choice 2, $39. I told the cashier that I would be good and take the less expensive of the two. She said, "well let me just scan that other one." IT WAS MARKED DOWN TO $20!!! And you don't believe in miracles... Of course I took them both.

I loaded them into the car and got in to head to my next destination, and the car didn't start. With all my new found spiritualism I thought, "Well, I'll just sit here and pray for some angels for a minute and everything will be fine"... Nothing. "Okay, I'll just sit and listen to (my recording of) The Course in Miracles and it will start in a minute." Nothing. "No problem, I will just pray for an angel to come help me." As I said this a guy gets out of a truck in front of me so I ask him if he had jumper cables and he looked at me, says, "nope," and heads into the store without so much as a backwards glance. Then I saw a guy messing with something in the back of a pick up so I walked over and ask him if he would like to be my knight in shinning armour, which he readily agreed to, ceptin neither of us of had jumper cables.

Since I didn't think it was the battery anyway (the car continued to make that obnoxious beeping noise every time I got in and out [with keys in the ignition] It wasn't like anyone could steel it now, could they? and the lights worked) so I gave in and called (my) Mister to send a tow truck, and went back to listening to the Course to pass the thirty minuted estimated time of arrival. About three minutes later two (angel) guys came by and ask if I needed help. I explained the problem (well okay, I told them the car didn't start which is as much as I knew about the problem), and that a truck was on the way but they were certainly welcome to peak under my hood if they wanted to. They were just getting started on diagnosing it when the tow truck arrived (less than 10 minutes. That's what I call service!) so them the three of them had a nice discussion and then tried to jump the car. NOTHING!

If it wasn't the battery, the consensus among the group was that it must be the starter. As the two guys offered their condolences and began to walk away I stopped them and said, "You were my angels that stopped to help me, I can't let you walk away without at least a hug." Group hugging ensued in the parking lot and one of the men gave me a business card for his church and invited me to attend. Even though I have given up organized religion I thought it was a very nice gesture on his part.

Once Bill (not his real name), the tow truck driver got the car hooked up I ask him, "Would it be much of a problem to swing by the college and pick up my daughter on our way?" "We can do that," he agreed, so I called her on her cell, told her to be out front, and off we went.

... "So Bill... What else would you like to share about yourself?" He didn't expect I was going to ride for thirty minutes in silence did he?

He told me he was in his second year at the community college and he was studying to become a master mechanic. Just after we picked up my youngest I got the best idea ever. I told Bill it would be great to have a mechanic in the family with three old vehicles and that he should date my youngest. Never mind that little thing that she is already dating someone. She politely declined so ask her who we could fix him up with if not her. I took a moment to make sure he wasn't dating and when he said no we decided on my daughter's BFF. With the miracle of cell phones we were able to call her up, right there in the tow truck.

"Hi BFF, my mom wants to talk to you, hang on."

"Hi BFF, You love me right? (BFF) "You know I do."

"You would do anything for me right?" (BFF) "Of course."

"Well, I have this really cute boy I want you to go out with so I can get my cars fixed for free." (BFF) "Okay."

After getting the green light from BFF, I checked out Bill a bit more. "Do you smoke?" (Bill) No.

"Do Drugs." (Bill) "I've tried pot, but nothing else." "And you're not going to pressure her into sex right away are you ?" (Bill) "Hardly." "Do you like to bowl?" (Bill) "I suck at it." "That's okay, so do they." "Do you like to go camping?" "My family goes to ___ lake every fourth of July."

I let him off the hook after that and went on to tell him how cute BFF is and that she wears the same size shoe as my daughter and I so how can she be anything but a great gal? This young man took all of this in stride which in my opinion speaks to his character. He gave us his phone number to pass on to BFF (I don't give out phone numbers without permission and she didn't answer her phone the second time we tried). Later, when my daughter called BFF back to go over the conversation, I told BFF that I expect them to name their first born after me... At least her middle name!

What might have been a rotten night was transformed into a great adventure, just because of my attitude. It wasn't going to do me any good to get upset, so I opted to sit back and enjoy the ride.

One lesson that did occur to me, was in regards to the many people that went in and out of the store while I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for a tow. I wasn't upset that they didn't offer help, but it did occur to me that they were doing what I always do. I am always in such a hurry I don't even look at other cars in the parking lot. It made me wonder if I had ever passed anyone needing assistance when I was all wrapped up in the drama called my life? I will try and pay attention from here on out, just in case this is the lesson I was meant to learn from last nights adventure.