It could have been worse…

There’s an accident in middle-of-nowhere-Pennsylvania and traffic is backed up for miles. We’re an hour away from our first hotel and we’re all tired of being in the car. The dogs want out. The cat wants out. We want out. Mr. C starts complaining about the traffic. I tell him that if this is the worst thing that happens to us today, it isn’t so bad. We aren’t the ones who have been in an accident.

It could have been worse.

At least the flat tire happens when we are only five minutes away from our hotel. And, the tire doesn’t blow. (That clarification was for you, Dad. No worries, we’re absolutely fine!) It is driveable. But, it’s a nerve wracking few minutes before we reach the safety of the hotel. It’s a Sunday night so I simply park the car, call for pizza delivery and jump into the pool.

Cut to Monday morning. Imagine this: a frazzled looking mom, a kid, two dogs, and a cat in a backpack, sitting on the sidewalk in the shade of an auto repair shop, waiting for the car to be ready. It’s hot. It’s humid. And we are supposed to be on the road speeding along merrily to our next destination. Instead, we’re looking remarkably like the homeless people who beg for money as you walk by. You know, the ones who have cute dogs sitting next to them.

But, again, it could have been worse.

Two hours earlier, it was pouring. Pouring. And, we’re not really homeless. Unlike the two young people we meet while we’re waiting who actually are homeless and trying to drive to a better place with better prospects. Their car is broken and they don’t have the money to pay for it. Worse. Much worse.

Thankfully, I do have the means to fix the car. It isn’t a cheap repair. It isn’t a simple puncture that caused our flat tire. Apparently, the alignment has been off for a while and the two rear tires are worn in ways I didn’t even realize possible. I guess my days of blissfully allowing someone else to handle car maintenance are over. Note to self, remember to get the tires regularly rotated, balanced and make sure everything is aligned properly so this doesn’t happen again.

As fortune would have it, the repair shop is in a mall. While we can’t go inside because of the pets, we are able to walk to a nearby restaurant and get some lunch while we wait. When we return we plop ourselves back down on the sidewalk out front. Did I mention that it’s hot? Like, frying an egg on my forehead kind of hot. I’m worried about Barnaby overheating. A couple of months ago he began having seizures. Mr. C has not witnessed one yet. This is not something I want him to experience at all, let alone while sitting in front of an auto repair shop.

Just about the time I really begin to worry about the dog, the guy helping us with the car comes out and tells me that it’s too hot to sit out there. We should come inside. Pets included. Travis from Sears in St. Clairsville, Ohio, you just became one of my favorite people! So, we finish our wait in air conditioned comfort. There is even a tv and Mr. C is introduced to Let’s Make a Deal. “Why are those people dressed like that, Mom? What is this show?” Everyone who walks through the waiting area smiles when they see the dogs and the cat in the backpack.

Finally, after a four-and-a-half hour delay (they had to drive to another Sears to get the tires I needed), we are on the road. You won’t be surprised to learn that the car is running smoothly and quietly now that everything is properly aligned and the rear tires no longer look like someone sanded off random layers of rubber.

It could have been worse. Here’s hoping we don’t have to say that again tomorrow…