Haven’t talked to my BFF, Zelda, for a few weeks. We’re both cray-cray because we’re trying to get stuff done. Me the book series, she her information product package.
Anyway, she was hungry, I was hungry – it seemed a trip to Sizzler was in order. The big draw being the all you can eat salad bar. Because, you know…All. You. Can. Eat. Big appeal to those of us on a budget, right?
I told her about my project. She told me about her project. We ate. Then we ate some more. And just for good measure, we ate some more.
Sizzler apparently closes at nine o’clock now. I guess people don’t get hungry after nine in our town. The server was nice. Eyes averted he asked us if we wanted more plate (for the all you can eat salad bar) but his voice said please don’t ask for more plates because my feet hurt and I want to go home and soak them. Also, behind him, other workers were breaking down the salad bar, turning off lights and whipping out industrial sized mops. Hint-hint.
On the way out I blamed Zelda for letting me eat too much. She told me to shut up.
So out we walk to the mostly empty parking lot. It was a gloriously cool evening and after the weeks of ball-breaking heat we’d been experiencing, I was feeling uber happy. At last, Fall had arrived.
“Oh my God,” Zelda said.
My head jerked left and right. “What?”
“I don’t f’ing believe it.”
Head bobbing up and down. “What? What? What?
Zelda bent over the left front fender. “The tire is flat.”
“Damn.” Still, I had to grin because whenever Zelda and I get together, it’s always something. We just have that kind of karma.
But not to worry, Zelda had a mini compressor in her trunk (Zelda has many magical things in her trunk – more about that later). Yes, they make those. Who knew? It’s cool, you hook it up to the car battery, it blows air in your tire and you’re off to the races.
Except, not so much. The compressor didn’t work. Zelda frowned. “Hmmmmm, it worked last month.”
Okay, Plan A definitely not working.
I called my room-mate. Voice mail. Hmmmmmm.
We flipped the switch on and off, played with the electrical lead. Begged. Pleaded. That compressor could not be sweet-talked.
Zelda decided to call Triple A. Okay Plan B. Auto Club. Sounds good.
She also had to use the rest room in the grocery store a few steps away.
Time passed.
I tried my room-mate again.
More time passed.
The homeless folks wielding shopping carts rattled by. And a guy in a weird truck drove circles in the lot.
More time passed.
I called my room-mate.
Apparently I was alone on the planet.
Then Zelda emerged from the grocery carrying buckets (don’t ask) – the phone stuck to her ear and rolling her eyes.
That was the second call to the auto club and apparently the driver was coming in 20 minutes, which technically is what they told her 20 minutes before.
We decided to get the spare out of the trunk, so the Triple A guy could change the tire faster. Not sure there was real logic there as much as it gave us something to do.
Now to get to the tire we needed to move some stuff. A lot of stuff. Water bottles, microwave mac’n cheese, ski poles, duffel bags, a tarp – like I said, Zelda has many magical things in her trunk. We emptied the contents into the backseat, which made her Lexus look more like Jed Clampett’s ride than an awesome luxury vehicle.
Just when all hope seemed lost, the drive rolled up. My pulse quickened, my eyes gleamed – I might get home by ten o’clock and catch a rerun on TV.
Driver was a nice guy – shaved head, I imagined with a wife and five kids. He looked that tired. He whips out his fancy jack, wheels it over, puts it in the right spot of the car and pumps. All good.
He fights a bit with the lug nuts but he wasn’t about to lose that battle and the lug nuts finally relented. Okay, we’re moving into the final leg of the journey.
He wiggles the wheel to get it loose. And then the car rolls back because he didn’t chock the back wheel.
Steam coming out of Zelda’s ear. Me grasping her arm so she won’t slug him.
Sigh.
The bad tire did manage to absorb some of the fall and the driver’s fancy jack helped some too. Except that now the jack was smooshed up. Need a new jack.
Driver shuffles to his truck to call the dispatcher.
Zelda mutters and takes pictures of her wheel base for proving damage. I smell a nasty letter in somebody’s future.
More time passes. Is it even still Friday?
Another driver shows up. He’s young, friendly, lots of energy. This could be better. Time is spent deliberating how to get the car up without bending the frame or something like that. Talk, huddling, mutters.
Somehow they (after they’d chocked the back tire) manage to raise up the car and get the spare tire on. Lugs nuts on.
Okay pulse quickening once again. Just a few more minutes and we’re on our way. Oh-oh, the spare is flat too.
The happy driver has an air compressor on board. Yay.
Tire inflates. Phew!
We wave, blow kisses, thank the drivers profusely. Just get me the hell home, I think.
The happy driver makes a sad face. “Wow,” he says, “good thing we got the air in that tire, my compressor just broke.”
I looked at Zelda, “Drive, damn it, just drive. Before something else happens.”
So I got home just before eleven. Zelda didn’t call so I assume she got home too.
Weird thing was, we couldn’t see any damage to the original tire. Just flat as a pancake. No obvious or apparent damage. Oh well, that’s a mystery for another day. True story.
So, how was your Friday night?
Writer Chick
Copyright 2014
Anita Rodgers Mystery Writer 