Car Trouble and Gratitude

My Aunt Eleanor and her family saved the day on Sunday.

I left my apartment in Portland, Maine around 5pm Saturday with two friends in tow to drive to a party in Boston. We were psyched about the evening. The party would likely be fun, sure – but at least as important to us was the prospect of listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the long car ride. We are all proclaimed HP geeks.

Just over an hour into the drive, in Amesbury, MA, one of my tires shredded on the highway. Fortunately I was driving relatively slowly and was able to pull over safely. This turn of events was a bit annoying, but far from debilitating. AAA showed up within ten minutes and quickly replaced the decimated tire with the spare I had in the trunk. Then we started driving again (and turned Harry back on, of course).

The party was interesting. Drunken, inappropriate groping abounded. There was a very attractive DJ. Somehow I was convinced to pose next to a “MEATBALLS!” banner. My veganism is frequently amusing to people who knew me in my filet mignon days, so I just go with it. When the groping became too much to handle, we left with hopes of returning to Portland before sleep.

We made it to Amesbury, MA again. My car started rumbling. The sensation felt familiar… eerily familiar.

Tire #2. Shredded. Within just a couple miles of the first shredded tire experience just a few hours before. This time I had no spare.

We really did not know what to do. It did not seem safe to sleep in the car on the side of the highway. AAA could only tow us three miles on our current plan, and we had no idea what was within three miles of this odd disaster. It was nearly 3am, so we could not very well call anyone to come save us or for advice.

A tow truck pulled up beside us. A man, probably in his mid-thirties, offered to tow us off the highway. I told him we did not have any money. He said that was fine, he just thought it was very dangerous for us to be sitting there. If I had been alone, I would have told him to go away, rolled up my windows, locked my car, dialed 911 and poised my thumb to hit send if he tried anything. As I had two friends, one male, with me, we got into his truck and let him tow us away. Fortunately, he was not an ax murderer. He left us at a Marriot and left without any payment. Nice man, really.

We spent a somewhat restless and short night at the Marriot for far too much money. My friends needed to get back to Portland so that they could drive to a grandfather’s birthday party starting early afternoon. I was feeling rather guilty that my defective car had left them stranded and we were all exhausted.

I suddenly remembered that my father’s lovely youngest sister lived somewhat nearby. All I had to do was pick up the phone and call her. From there on out she took care of the rest.

She drove to the hotel to pick us up and leant us a functional car to drive my friends back home. While I drove to Portland and back, she and her family got my car to a tire shop, bought new tires, had them installed and my car examined. I simply had to come pick up my car.

I suppose I could have lingered on how absurdly unlucky it was to be stranded with two shredded tires in the middle of the night. Perhaps I would have – if only the generosity of my aunt and my easygoing friends did not so completely overshadow the inconveniences abounding. I left that day filled with such complete gratitude for these people (and of course for the acquisition of a good story).

Thank you to Eleanor, Dave, Alexander, David, Jennifer, Bronwyn, Tyson, and the random guy with a tow truck. You are appreciated.