It was Friday at last and I was looking forward to my drive out west of me to see Marlene, a good friend I went to school with. She'd tracked me down on Facebook and contacted me, much to my surprise and we ended up talking for hours afterward. One thing led to another and we decided to get together on the weekend and catch up on old times.
I pulled out of the oil change place and gassed up, then headed to the highway to go west. The weather was perfect and the tunes were just right for the drive. I love driving and seeing new places and this was my first trip going this far west of me. Once I came to the end of Iowa, I took a power nap and had a little fun with my remote bullet before I did. I locked the doors and left the windows open a bit for fresh air, as I turned on the bullet and closed my eyes to enjoy a lovely fantasy. The nap felt good and I got back on the road. I started to get excited that I was nearing my destination, as I pulled off I-80 onto I-29 north and headed in the direction she gave me. I went through Nebraska and finally came to the South Dakota border.
Marlene said she was a half hour across the border, so I was really glad to be at the end of my trip. I might like driving, but this was really a long one and was wearing me out. After all the hellos and such, I wanted to just sit and relax and get the road out of me. I came to the road she marked out as the one I turned left on and headed out into the country. It wasn't long before I noticed a distinct lack of civilization any where and wondered why she wanted to live here. I like some peace and quiet too, but this was crazy. The nearest town to get anything was over a half hour away to get to. I figured they got a deal on the land and that's why they were out here somewhere.
I drove over my scheduled half hour and another fifteen and knew I had to have missed my turn off. I turned around and started back and just as I did, the oil light started flashing and an alarm was dinging away. I pulled over and opened the hood to check my oil and found the dipstick was almost dry. I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the car and sure enough, there was a steady drip coming from the drain plug on my oil pan. I lay down and slid under to try and tighten it, but it was too hot to touch. I got up and wiped the dirt off my hands and knees and looked around for a sign of life. Other than the road I was on, it looked like man had never set foot here before.
I took my phone out to call Marlene and got the dreaded out of range/no signal showing up. Now I was getting a bit worried on what to do. I'm a very independent woman and feel I can take care of myself in most cases, but this was beyond me what to do. I held my phone up, walking up and down the road trying to get a signal. Anyone who saw me would think I was a crazy woman, walking around with my phone in the air, shaking it and cursing the skies.
I gave up on trying and looked down the road as far as I could see. Nothing. I looked back the way I came and knew it held the same possibilities, nothing. I sat in the car again and felt the helpless frustration of being able to do nothing to fix my situation. I cursed the young guy at the lube place for not doing his job right and took some pictures on my phone of the oil dripping and the oil light glowing brightly on the dashboard. I thought if I drove really slow, it wouldn't hurt the engine if I did, so I started it up and heard the knocking sounds. I shut it off and knew that wouldn't work either.
I sat there feeling that helplessness sweep over me and hated that I had to accept that I was. I'm always in charge of things and always make sure things are okay, but this time I wasn't and had to rely on someone else. The frustration got the better of me and I started crying, making me cry harder because I hate crying over things like this. I had my hands on the wheel and my head against them, when I heard a sound outside on the road. I looked out and saw nothing coming ahead and looked in my mirror and saw a cloud of dust far back in the distance.
I went to get out and then stopped myself, wondering if who was driving was friendly or not. I didn't have too many choices to choose from, so I figured taking my chances with the stranger coming, was better than sitting there crying like a fool and doing nothing. I got out and stood beside my car and watched the vehicle coming towards me. I made out that it was a pick up truck and then made out two people inside.
My heart was pounding like mad, imagining all sorts of scenarios that could play out. I kept a brave face and watched the dark, green Chevy come closer. Once I started making out faces better, I noticed it was a man and a woman and breathed a sigh of relief. I waved to them and they slowed down and stopped beside me. The woman, in her mid to late forties I guessed, rolled down her window and smiled as she said hello.
"Hey there, you okay?"
"Not really. Is there any place I can buy some oil around here? I had it changed before I left and the guy didn't tighten the nut good enough and it dripped out. I need a few quarts to get any where and hope I haven't screwed the engine up now. I tried it earlier and its knocking and banging pretty bad."
The man, I'd say in his early fifties, heard that and shook his head.
"That doesn't sound good. We have some oil back at the house you can use. Should have enough to get you going if everything is okay and nothing is busted up inside. If it is, all the oil in the world won't help."
"How would I know if it is?"
"We'll get the oil and a wrench to tighten the plug and see if it still makes noise once the oil is in it. If it does, most likely spun a bearing or something just as bad."
I wasn't liking the sounds of this already.
"Does that take a lot to fix? The bearing, I mean?"
I saw him chuckle and look at his wife, then back to me.
"It means they'll have to take the whole engine out and tear it all apart and rebuild it. Looking at a couple grand to do that."
"Are you serious? A couple grand? If it is busted like you said, those guys are going to pay for it, this is bullshit."
The woman could see I was getting more upset by the minute and told me to get in. She opened the door and slid over next to her husband so I could get in. I knew there was no other choice to make and got my phone and bag and locked the car. I got in and closed the door, finding myself pressed up tight against the woman.
"Thank you so much for stopping and helping me like this, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Honey, glad to be of help. I'm Sharon and this is my husband, Curtis."
"Hi, I'm ShaeLee, nice to meet you."