Wasted Days And Wasted Nights

What keeps me from driving these days?

Well, there are a few things. First, there aren’t enough finances to take many trips, even trips three hours away to visit the other grandkids. It’s gas and car maintenance and lodging and incidentals. No money. No trips.

Then there’s the  issue of my car being old and not in the best condition anymore. It’s a 2010. So it’s a fifteen year old car, poorly maintained (because of finances). I don’t always have the best tires or the best brakes. And up until about ten months ago, the battery was so bad that I never knew if it was going to start or not. That kept me from going any place where I would have to shut off the engine for fear it wouldn’t start again.

Two years ago, while watching the Vancouver grandkids while Daughter #1 was out of the country, I had a series of unfortunate car issues that left me very wary of driving any place. Without warning, the car refused to start when I went to pick up my grandson at his school for a doctor’s appointment. It was fine. It had been fine. Then when we came out of the school office, it wouldn’t start. It wouldn’t let me lock it. There was absolutely no power to it.  Even AAA couldn’t start it. It had to be towed. Because I had no money, it was towed to my daughter’s house so we could figure it all out later.

I ended up needing to drive my daughter’s car in the interim. The very first morning there was a flat tire. I inflated it and we used the car for a couple of days, including a trip to another town where my daughter had booked a weekend at a hotel the kids like. It was sort of a consolation for them having to stay at home while she went out of the country. The car was fine.

Then, that Monday, the battery was dead. Another call to AAA. Later, while the kids were at school, I drove the half hour home to check mail an pick up some things I needed for the next week until they returned. On the way home, while crossing the bridge between Oregon and Washington, I the car started to make noise. I couldn’t figure out what it was then it hit me, it was one of the tires and I figured it was the rear passenger side that had been flat the week before. I had no choice but to keep going as there is no shoulder or pull out area on the bridge. I slowed down as much as it was safe to do so. My daughter’s exit is just about two miles past the bridge. I wanted to make it off of the freeway so I proceeded slowly and carefully. Until there was a jolt and I saw my tire fly out and in front of the car and across four freeway lanes. When AAA came, I wanted them to tow the car. I was shaking and crying. It had been one of the scariest experiences in a long time. But the tow driver just put the spare on for me so I could drive to my daughter’s.

After that, I was done. I let the kids go to school on the bus and come back on the bus. I went nowhere. When my daughter returned, her boyfriend got my car started and I went home and stayed there for a couple of weeks without leaving the house.