Tuesday, October 01, 2002
Today, Parker and I headed (as on any good Tuesday) to playgroup. I had my potluck dish, swim clothes for the two of us, and an awake, well-rested baby. We even left relatively on time. Little did I know what to expect. While approaching the one stoplight in our town, the car dies. Yep, just stopped working. So, I jump out of the car and push it up onto the sidewalk (luckily we were right by one of those fake driveway things ... you know, the concrete part is like driveway to the sidewalk where there is normally a curb and grass but no driveway past the sidewalk) and jump in to push the emergency brake and throw it into park. Luckily, I'm near a corner with three gas stations. But I know I have no cash. I desperately pull out my wallet to see if I have a credit card ... nope. ATM??? Thankfully, I did, which was actually surprising. It was no longer in the protective white cover that I always use, and I know Jeff had just used it on our drive home to pay for stamps for Parker's invitaitons. Normally, he doesn't put it back in my wallet, so I got really lucky.
So, I pull out the umbrella stroller (I didn't want to deal with the "cadillac" stroller this time) and plop Parker into it, throw on my diaper bag backpack, and head to the gas station with convenience store attached. I can see the ATM sign from here. It irks me the whole way that I'm going to have to pay the stupid end user fee for it, knowing I'll also get charged the $2 ATM fee from the credit union for using an unauthorized teller. I resolve to keep emergency money in my and Jeff's wallets from here on out. By the way, it may be the 1st of October, but it is still around 90 degrees. I HATE Florida weather. So, we get to the store, and Parker is thrilled to be on this little adventure. I'm just thankful for indoor air conditioning. I attempt to use the ATM machine 3 times and it keeps not being able to read my card. I'm thinking about having to walk all the way home with my car sitting on the side of the road with a foot in the road. With utter desparation, I get the card to read on the 4th try. I get my money and go over to the oil section. Does my car take 10W30? I have no clue. I assume so and get two containers. Isn't $1.79 per container rather expensive? And that was the cheapest they have!! They really do get you at gas convenience stores.
At this point, Parker is no longer pleased to be in the stroller, but I'm just not in the mood to carry him. So, I rearrange him in the stroller, tighten the belt (so he can't sit sideways) and head back to the car. While putting oil in the car, an extremely nice lady stops in the middle of the street and asks if I need any help. She insists on stopping to make sure the car starts for me, and comes and talks to Parker while I try the car. It starts fine, and I thank her profusely for caring and stopping. In this current day, I just expect for noone to care that a mom, with a baby in a stroller, trying to fix a car might need a hand. Car works fine now, but we obviously have an oil leak problem.
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