Several months ago I kept getting the feeling that car troubles were soon on my way. They frist came to me furing one of my commutes between jobs in the middle of the desert witout cell service. I was sure that it was kjust a ‘that would really suck if…’ kinf of thought and dismissed it from my worries. My little Honda hadn’t shown any signs of approaching death and I had taken fairly good care of her – with regular oil changes and smooth driving.
The feeling that my car was in trouble returned to me a couple more times. I told my mother what was going on to which she asked all the normal questions about the car’s performance, leaving us both to conclude that for now things are fine. She offered that if anything did happen and I was left carless that we would figure it out then. Again the worries left me.
So sometime down the road… without giving it a second thought I let two of my coworkers from the lodge borrow my car for their day off to Saint George. I gave them strict instructions to treat my baby with care and that Ethan was NOT to drive. He had a history of destroying clutches – the most recent being only one month before. Logan appeared to be the more responsible driver so I put him as captain.
Halfway through the day Traz from the office came to the kitchen window and announced that I was wanted on the phone. I could only convince myself of one thing – Logan and Ethan stranded on the side of the road…
And sure enough, “So… David… there seems to be a problem with your car…”
Logan went on to explain that the clutch had blown and that the car was in front of his uncle’s friend’s neighbor’s roommate’s house in Saint George. My heart sank as I started asking questions about what had happened. Apparently it had started slipping in 5th gear while ascending a hill on the highway, and then again in first gear while driving around town. They barely made it to the house from which it wouldn’t move.
With only a half hour left of my shift on the grill, I was dismissed early to be able to try and save the situation. I helped arrange rides for the boys back to the lodge and spent a couple hours on the phone with different people. With my mother I talked about different outcomes – repairing versus buying a new car. If it wasn’t quite worth it to repair the Honda then I would go to Church Fleet Services and buy a used Toyota Carola for eight or nine thousand dollars. I also got in contact with a local auto shop recommended to me by my boss. “They’re good honest people.” AAA wouldn’t tow my car without me being present so I would have to wait until my day off in the morning to get myself to Saint George.
Parker let me borrow his truck on the premise that I NOT blow his clutch – I smiled and thanked him with a ‘brotha hug’ for his kindness. I wanted to get into town bright and early in anticipation of having to call a tow truck and spend all day in the shop. With some shotty directions and a tourist map of Saint George I found the house and my car. I experienced a certain relief when I pulled up behind my little Honda. She doesn’t have a name but she knows that I love her. We’ve been through a lot together these last five years of my driving life. I found the keys underneath the seat and fired her up. I wanted to know for myself what was going on… I gave it a minute to warm up and then eased out the clutch in first. She crawled forward just like normal… I put her in second and went around the block… It seemed as if nothing were wrong! I smiled to myself out loud, rubbed the dash board and drove her straight to the shop.
I was extremely relieved to find out that the clutch was NOT blown – just worn. The mechanic speculated that the boys had ridden it hard all day heating up the boot pads causing it to slip. Though the clutch was definitely on its way to needing replaced, it still had months of life still in it if I baby her. I smiled with relief and called my mother.
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