Finally a convenient way to get bacon while visiting the washroom!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Good Samaritans Do Exist
Saturday I decided to go run a bunch of errands while my husband went to Triangle, ID with his dad to bring a horse trailer up there (it's in the Owyhee Mountains) and visit horses. So I headed out to Target, Home Depot, Winco Groceries and then home.
I was sitting at a stoplight near Winco when I hear all this hollering and whistling behind me, so I poke my head out the window and the guy says "Hey you've got a flat tire!" Oh great, just great. "Thanks for letting me know!" and I turn to pull into the Dairy Queen parking lot to check it out. (That also sucks because right now I can't eat Dairy Queen as I am doing the 6 Week Body Makeover-rar!)
So I hop out and sure as the sun shines there is the flat. Left rear tire on my Jeep Liberty. POOT! What the heck am I going to do??? Jason is 2 hours away out of cell range, my mother-in-law is not home and her cell phone is off, my sister-in-law is MIA, the tire is flat enough that I can't make it to Les Schwab tires, I don't have AAA anymore (dammit!)
So I call my dad in MN "I don't know what to do! I have never changed the tire on the Jeep, I don't know where the jack is, I am pretty sure I can't lift the tire and wheel once it's off... And everyone is staring at me!" (They were!)
Meanwhile my mom is telling me in the background to ask Dairy Queen if I can put my freezer items I just bought in their coolers until I get this sorted out. Um, no.
At that point three gentleman in their 60s come out of Dairy Queen and descend upon my vehicle. I hang up with my dad to sort this mess out. They find the jack, get the tire off and head for the spare. Oh wait, they say, do you have the "key" to get the spare off? "No I don't have the key, I got this Jeep used and the previous owner never turned in the key," says me. "You mean they let you drive off the lot and closed the deal with out getting you a replacement 'key'?!" "Yes, yes they did."
"We can't get the spare off then..." Damn.
They proceeded to try and wrench that lug nut with the "key" off, it won't budge. There is a screw sticking straight down into the flat tire (thanks Home Depot,)I can feel the air rushing out and I can't get anywhere. I live 20 minutes away.
So they load up the flat in their truck, tell me to stay there ("are you sure you don't want me to come?" "No, you stay here and watch the car--don't drive away!" Har-dee-har har) and drive off to Les Schwab to get the tire fixed.
15 minutes later they return with the tire as good as new, information on how to get a replacement "key" for the spare and no intention of letting me pay for the repair on my tire. So even though they just had Dairy Queen I talked them into letting me at least buy them blizzards (2 Banana Cream Pies, 1 Heath, smalls please) and off they drove ("there you go little lady.")
They wouldn't give me names or contact info, they were just happy to help. One of them said "I would just hope that someone would do the same for my wife or daughter. You never know where you could have gotten a flat and who, if anyone, would have stopped to help you. Just pay it forward." I like him.
So, though they probably will never read this blog: thank you good Samaritans! I will forever be grateful.
Jason and I are going to the dealer to get a new "key" for the spare and give them a piece of my mind. I would have been stranded had I been forced to deal with the flat myself. I had no idea I even needed a "key" to get the spare off. Had I been alone in the middle of nowhere.... I don't want to think about that.
I was sitting at a stoplight near Winco when I hear all this hollering and whistling behind me, so I poke my head out the window and the guy says "Hey you've got a flat tire!" Oh great, just great. "Thanks for letting me know!" and I turn to pull into the Dairy Queen parking lot to check it out. (That also sucks because right now I can't eat Dairy Queen as I am doing the 6 Week Body Makeover-rar!)
So I hop out and sure as the sun shines there is the flat. Left rear tire on my Jeep Liberty. POOT! What the heck am I going to do??? Jason is 2 hours away out of cell range, my mother-in-law is not home and her cell phone is off, my sister-in-law is MIA, the tire is flat enough that I can't make it to Les Schwab tires, I don't have AAA anymore (dammit!)
So I call my dad in MN "I don't know what to do! I have never changed the tire on the Jeep, I don't know where the jack is, I am pretty sure I can't lift the tire and wheel once it's off... And everyone is staring at me!" (They were!)
Meanwhile my mom is telling me in the background to ask Dairy Queen if I can put my freezer items I just bought in their coolers until I get this sorted out. Um, no.
At that point three gentleman in their 60s come out of Dairy Queen and descend upon my vehicle. I hang up with my dad to sort this mess out. They find the jack, get the tire off and head for the spare. Oh wait, they say, do you have the "key" to get the spare off? "No I don't have the key, I got this Jeep used and the previous owner never turned in the key," says me. "You mean they let you drive off the lot and closed the deal with out getting you a replacement 'key'?!" "Yes, yes they did."
"We can't get the spare off then..." Damn.
They proceeded to try and wrench that lug nut with the "key" off, it won't budge. There is a screw sticking straight down into the flat tire (thanks Home Depot,)I can feel the air rushing out and I can't get anywhere. I live 20 minutes away.
So they load up the flat in their truck, tell me to stay there ("are you sure you don't want me to come?" "No, you stay here and watch the car--don't drive away!" Har-dee-har har) and drive off to Les Schwab to get the tire fixed.
15 minutes later they return with the tire as good as new, information on how to get a replacement "key" for the spare and no intention of letting me pay for the repair on my tire. So even though they just had Dairy Queen I talked them into letting me at least buy them blizzards (2 Banana Cream Pies, 1 Heath, smalls please) and off they drove ("there you go little lady.")
They wouldn't give me names or contact info, they were just happy to help. One of them said "I would just hope that someone would do the same for my wife or daughter. You never know where you could have gotten a flat and who, if anyone, would have stopped to help you. Just pay it forward." I like him.
So, though they probably will never read this blog: thank you good Samaritans! I will forever be grateful.
Jason and I are going to the dealer to get a new "key" for the spare and give them a piece of my mind. I would have been stranded had I been forced to deal with the flat myself. I had no idea I even needed a "key" to get the spare off. Had I been alone in the middle of nowhere.... I don't want to think about that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)