My First Flat Tire

So I was sitting in my car waiting for school to be let out so I could pick up Natalie. Normally I walk. But that day it was snowing and cold and I figured I’d be nice and drive. Normally I still make everyone walk even in the cold. I figure it gives them character.

I was busy messing with Facebook on my phone. I was marveling at the dinners people were saying they were making.


Lemon chicken with green beans picked from my garden!

Braised beef with twice baked potatoes.

Stir fry with organic vegetables.

I’m just making chicken nuggets (from a bag non-organic) and french fries (from a bag.) I couldn’t help but add to someone’s post.

Knock knock.

Huh?

I glanced up and saw a man standing beside my window. Had I been off base, I’d have worried that he was about to attack me. I’d have cracked my window down, pushed my lips next to it and gone, “Yes?” Then I’d have my finger on my panic button just in case. One never knows these days.

Since I was on base, I rolled the window all the way down (I say rolled but I just pressed a button. We have a car from this century although sometimes I wish for the manual roll down windows because all this electronic stuff is sometimes more problems than they are worth.)

“Yes?”

“Your front tire is completely flat,” the man told me in an Indian accent.

I immediately pictured Apu.

“Oh?” I stepped out of the car and sure enough…




UGH!

Of all days. When it was SNOWING. And COLD.

And did I drive there with a flat tire? I didn’t notice anything amiss.

“Thank you,” I said, drawing a blank on what I should do next. Actually, I sort of wanted to shout, “HELP! I have a FLAT!” because I’m dramatic like that.

It was my first flat tire, you see.

“Can you fix it? I can take you to the car place and get you a new tire,” the man said kindly.

I glanced at my clock. The kids would be let out in five minutes.

“I can’t. I need to pick up my daughter. I’ll call my husband and he can help. But thank you so much.”

Then I called Tom and when he picked up I was like, “TOM! I have a flat and it’s snowing and cold and I don’t know exactly what to do? How do I lift this car up? How do I get the spare on?” I sort of had verbal diarrhea.

Again, I panic when things go wrong.

“It’s a flat tire,” Tom said, ignoring my theatrics.“Not a big deal. I’ll be there in a few.”

It was a big deal! It was snowing! And cold! And…okay, it wasn’t a big deal. At least it happened on base. At least I wasn’t far away from home. At least Tom wasn’t deployed and could help.

I went to get Natalie and told her the tire was flat so we had to wait for Daddy.

“Did you drive too fast?” she asked sweetly.

I am not a crazy driver. I mean, yes, I yell at other drivers when I see them talking on their phones or texting or not using their turn signals…but that doesn’t make me a crazy driver. Just an opinionated one.

“No. I got a nail in it.” This was true. You could see where the nail was in the tire. Boo.

Tom was there when we got back to the car and he changed it quickly. I think I know how to fix a flat tire now but I would need help with lifting the car up. Everything else I could do.

So yeah, I survived my first flat tire.

And now I have all new tires, because the treads on my old ones were awful.

Yay me.