So there I was....
Driving down I75, on my way home from work. Right around mile marker 124 I see a figure walking along the side of the interstate. "It's one o'clock in the morning", I think to myself. "This person must be in a bad situation to be walking down the intestate at this hour, all alone. There's a car next to me, I'll brake and duck behind them and get to the side of the road. I don't think this is where God wants me to die, so I'll be safe." Easing off the gas, I click my signal and tuck in behind the car to my right. Clutch in, out of sixth, clutch out while tapping the throttle and pressing the brake, clutch in, into fourth gear, clutch out, hard on the brake, clutch in, tap throttle, shift to second, clutch out, watch revs down to 1000 clutch in again, shift to neutral while stopping, Everything in fluid motion bringing my car from 85 to a dead stop as fast as I safely can. Even with my race inspired stopping I'm pretty far past my target. I reverse down the side of the road, probably not the safest idea. When I see the figure I stop and get out. " Hey man," I shout to the dark figure walking towards me. A brief moment of panic when I see something hanging from one hand, but then the headlights of a passing truck reveal a set of keys on a long keychain. " How's it going?" I continue.
" I'm so glad you stopped, I've been walking for the last three and a half miles."
I hadn't realized It was a girl till I heard her speak.
" My battery died. Of course I pick tonight of all nights to forget my cell phone all the way down in naples"
I present my phone with an offer to use it, and she calls her friend, Kelly. She explains her situation to kelly, who is now on her way from cape coral. After the call I explain I'm nearly out of gas, so I'm going to need to head to a station soon. On the way I find out her name is Ebony, and that she's moved here from New York, near where I'm from. She goes to a massage school in Ft myers, and works for calltec. I drive her back to her Car and try to take a look at it. The car starts. Then the car dies. I check the connections, but I'm thinking alternator.
^FYI^(Automotive electrical systems have three basic elements, the battery, the alternator, and the electronics. The battery stores energy for starting the car. The alternator maintains the charge in the battery, and provides power for the electronics. If your battery is dead, your car will still run. You need only to start the car, and the alternator will keep it running. If your alternator is dead, your car will run for a very limited time, using the electricity stored in your battery to run the basic functions and whatever accessories you've employed. With your headlights on, this time is VERY short)
Kelly comes by to help, and to give Ebony a ride home. She agrees that the problem is not the battery. A Road Rangers Roadside Assistance agent pulls his truck up and comes out to offer some help. A jump start won't do it here though. We reach a decision to leave the car till morning, and have it towed to the nearest mechanic. Kelly's got my number because she was called from my phone. I don't remember why, but I somehow end up getting Ebony's number. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.
Next morning I get a call from Ebony telling me the alternator and it's belt are going to be $500+ to replace, so says this mechanic at Tire Choice. Alternators don't cost five hundred dollars to replace. They just don't. I end up volunteering myself to put in an alternator. SEVEN hours later I'm covered head to toe in black grease. Ebony's gone to pick up her roomate, who apparently had a date, and return the roomate's car. I've got everything back together and the car starts right up. I call ebony to tell her the good news, and I head to work.
"hey josh, car trouble? i thought that miata was new"
"OH MY GOD! JOSH WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!?!"
" nice of you to join us."
" Josh, did they drag you down I75?"
" Josh! oh, mygod. you look so disgusting"
" Josh, this isn't up to dress code"
"Chris, come here, he can't stay here like this, can he?"
" dress code? what happened to him?"
"Josh just go home, Chris shouldn't he go home?"
" Josh, go home, take a bath, get your little rubber ducky action.... then take another bath, no, I don't think we need to hug right now."
"take the night off, it's slow anyway."
"you're leaving???"
"call us when you're clean"
So I left.
Went home and showered for an hour. Still not 100%, but I look much better than before. Went out to pizza with the family. Called Courtney to say hi. Went to publix and found x-tine in the aluminum foil row, talked to her for a bit, mostly about her stalkers. Perry just got back down here, so I went to see him. Then we cruised Ft. Myers beach. Then I went downtown. Liquid's only going to be around till the end of the month, and I'm finding this rather upsetting. A couple of Iced Chai with half&half drinks and some good conversation with Sam about everything from my greasy day to vanagons and vans to babys and politics and art made that part of my night really relaxing. I called Josh to see how he and Megan are doing, but no answer. Megan called back, he's at work and left his phone home. I went over to their appartment after liquid closed up, and we talked and hung out and played with their doggy till 4 or so. Then I went on my merry way. Home by 5. To bed.
How many of you would read this?
How many of you would read this and tip me as to my grammatical errors? (If you do, don't count what's in quotations. I meant for it to look like that.)
How many of you envy my volunteering-for-stuff-I-really-don't-want-to-do skills? haha!
" I'm so glad you stopped, I've been walking for the last three and a half miles."
I hadn't realized It was a girl till I heard her speak.
" My battery died. Of course I pick tonight of all nights to forget my cell phone all the way down in naples"
I present my phone with an offer to use it, and she calls her friend, Kelly. She explains her situation to kelly, who is now on her way from cape coral. After the call I explain I'm nearly out of gas, so I'm going to need to head to a station soon. On the way I find out her name is Ebony, and that she's moved here from New York, near where I'm from. She goes to a massage school in Ft myers, and works for calltec. I drive her back to her Car and try to take a look at it. The car starts. Then the car dies. I check the connections, but I'm thinking alternator.
^FYI^(Automotive electrical systems have three basic elements, the battery, the alternator, and the electronics. The battery stores energy for starting the car. The alternator maintains the charge in the battery, and provides power for the electronics. If your battery is dead, your car will still run. You need only to start the car, and the alternator will keep it running. If your alternator is dead, your car will run for a very limited time, using the electricity stored in your battery to run the basic functions and whatever accessories you've employed. With your headlights on, this time is VERY short)
Kelly comes by to help, and to give Ebony a ride home. She agrees that the problem is not the battery. A Road Rangers Roadside Assistance agent pulls his truck up and comes out to offer some help. A jump start won't do it here though. We reach a decision to leave the car till morning, and have it towed to the nearest mechanic. Kelly's got my number because she was called from my phone. I don't remember why, but I somehow end up getting Ebony's number. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.
Next morning I get a call from Ebony telling me the alternator and it's belt are going to be $500+ to replace, so says this mechanic at Tire Choice. Alternators don't cost five hundred dollars to replace. They just don't. I end up volunteering myself to put in an alternator. SEVEN hours later I'm covered head to toe in black grease. Ebony's gone to pick up her roomate, who apparently had a date, and return the roomate's car. I've got everything back together and the car starts right up. I call ebony to tell her the good news, and I head to work.
"hey josh, car trouble? i thought that miata was new"
"OH MY GOD! JOSH WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!?!"
" nice of you to join us."
" Josh, did they drag you down I75?"
" Josh! oh, mygod. you look so disgusting"
" Josh, this isn't up to dress code"
"Chris, come here, he can't stay here like this, can he?"
" dress code? what happened to him?"
"Josh just go home, Chris shouldn't he go home?"
" Josh, go home, take a bath, get your little rubber ducky action.... then take another bath, no, I don't think we need to hug right now."
"take the night off, it's slow anyway."
"you're leaving???"
"call us when you're clean"
So I left.
Went home and showered for an hour. Still not 100%, but I look much better than before. Went out to pizza with the family. Called Courtney to say hi. Went to publix and found x-tine in the aluminum foil row, talked to her for a bit, mostly about her stalkers. Perry just got back down here, so I went to see him. Then we cruised Ft. Myers beach. Then I went downtown. Liquid's only going to be around till the end of the month, and I'm finding this rather upsetting. A couple of Iced Chai with half&half drinks and some good conversation with Sam about everything from my greasy day to vanagons and vans to babys and politics and art made that part of my night really relaxing. I called Josh to see how he and Megan are doing, but no answer. Megan called back, he's at work and left his phone home. I went over to their appartment after liquid closed up, and we talked and hung out and played with their doggy till 4 or so. Then I went on my merry way. Home by 5. To bed.
How many of you would read this?
How many of you would read this and tip me as to my grammatical errors? (If you do, don't count what's in quotations. I meant for it to look like that.)
How many of you envy my volunteering-for-stuff-I-really-don't-want-to-do skills? haha!