Pedal to the Metal

Well, I think I'm obviously STILL being tested on this patience thing..... I am actually gritting my teeth whilst plunking out these words on the keyboard. For the second time in two months, my car has completely broken down on me. Ironically, it was booked for servicing tomorrow - as it already required two new CV boots and a front wheel bearing - whatever those may be. My diagnosis was "loud" and "crunching noises", if that helps. At any rate, today as we're off to the sport of the day, my clutch decides to fail. Pedal to the metal and stuck there. For good. Permanently depressed. Maybe it's just a broken cable suggested one of the many good Samaritans who stopped to offer assistance as we were stranded and blocking traffic on a merge lane to the Haney by-pass during, you guessed it, rush hour. At any rate, I called BCAA and was given an estimated one hour wait. Being the patient person I now am, I was fine with this - I was just concerned about the likelihood of a smashed vehicle at that intersection, or worse, my child deciding to dart out into the action.

Lo and behold, my very first Good Samaritan was none other than B.P. (a.k.a. J's soccer coach) and the dad he barfed on last Friday night in the swimming pool! Now I'm pretty sure B is quite tired of rescuing J and I - but he and another very good Samaritan were able to push my car back out of the traffic so that all the cars could get by. In the meantime, my parents were called and they came to pick up all the baseball gear, sparring gear, fold-up chairs, dog food, booster seats, and J out of my vehicle, trunk and sidewalk - even though J whined about having to leave with them (he desperately wanted to ride in the tow truck). But in that hour, over half of the people who drove down the side street I was on, asked me if they could help, or if I needed help. It was very heartwarming and I can't say how much I appreciated the unexpected kindness. Only one woman yelled at me that I was in her way (sorry!), but BP just directed her around us, no problemo! I think she initially thought I'd just stopped my car to chat with these young, muscled, bucks. Anyway, even the tow truck driver was amazed when I relayed how many people actually stopped to offer assistance - he had pulled up as one young Samaritan was just leaving. This kid had apologized profusely that he couldn't help me - he said he just forgot his tools at home - and had even offered to go home to get them! I told him how much I appreciated his offer but that the tow truck was already en route anyway. I actually think he might have actually gone home to get his tools had he not seen the tow truck himself!

Anyway, we missed our sport of the day and thanks to everybody who helped us, we're all safe and sound -- and the car is obviously where it belongs. But, I am gritting my teeth because I am literally dreading what these repairs are going to set us back again this time....