When You Don’t Have a Car
The twins and I needed to run an errand, and I said I’d drive. We piled into the car, I turned the ignition, and we were immediately flooded with a very strong scent of gasoline. “Do you smell that?” I asked, as if anyone could not smell the gasoline. It smelled like we were taking a gasoline shower.
I turned the car off, and we got out. You could smell it strongly on the outside, too. We took the twins’ car, ran our errand, and came home to deal with this strange problem. By which I mean that I waited for Josh to come home and deal with this strange problem because I did not feel like dealing with this strange problem.
The body shop told him to get the car towed. So he called towing who said they would not come out unless the fire department came out and said it was safe. So he called the fire department who came out and said they didn’t see any reason not to tow it, called the towing company who came to pick it up, and called the body shop to discuss the issue. They said they would check out my towed car on route to their shop… in six days.
It’s not as if I could have used it between those six days — clearly, I wasn’t driving the car. And I should probably mention that prior to starting the car and smelling the gasoline, it had been 18 days since I last drove it. I just don’t drive my car very often because I don’t leave the house that often. And when I do, someone else tends to drive. I often wonder if I should even have a car. Do I really need something I use so infrequently?
And yet, I couldn’t stop moaning about not being able to anywhere. I sang songs about it that I made up on the spot. If the car was fine, I wouldn’t have used it. But since the car was not fine, it felt like a grand old time to take care of all those small tasks I put off because I don’t leave the house.
This experience should tell me something deep about myself.
3 comments
You should have a car. The twins should not have a car – they should just use yours all the time. That is the way to manage this situation. 🙂
I’m glad you’re ok! Did they figure it out in those stupid six days?
And of course we need things when we don’t have them…this is why we have them. Because at some point we DID need them…
This reminds me of two things. The first was an adventure when visiting an internet friend for the first time in the Cotswolds, UK. We had to call the fire department, and the RAC, because her car was leaking petrol (gas) outside a school (!). It was an exciting adventure for me, but quite distressing for her. We were on our way to the Cathedral in Gloucester, so I never got to see it, though they fixed the car then and there, so we did get to some charming Cotswold villages later in the day.
Your moaning about not having a car reminded me of me! Before we inherited FIL’s car, we only had one car. Whenever DH was out at golf (twice a week) or visiting FIL (three times+ a week), I felt stranded at home, unable to do the myriad chores and adventures that needed my attention. Now we have two cars, and I can spend days not leaving the house. Though I’ve never left waiting a full 18 days before driving my car, unless I’m overseas on a trip!