new tires.
"that's a funny noise...", i said as we sped along the toll road, just minutes from our favorite juicy cheeseburger joint, en route to our mini-vacation at the beach. "i hope it's not a flat tire!", he responded and steered the old volvo to the shoulder of the road. on the surface i was keeping my cool, but inside i was filled with pure unbridled panic.
it can't be a flat tire, my brain screamed inside my head,
we're almost at redamaks!!!
but he didn't lose his composure and i was ever so grateful to be married to a guy who actually knows how to change a tire. since i've only seen it done in the movies and always assumed i'd be able to figure it out from what i'd observed, i was immensely grateful. after guiding me to the safest place between the weedy ditch and the pavement, he opened the rusty tailgate and unpacked the bundle of tools tucked into a compartment where the spare tire lived. oh, so that's where that stuff is!
we had only been stopped for 2 minutes but my brain had fed me a film strip of all the worst case scenarios imaginable, including the very real possibility that our long-awaited vacation was about to be ruined. my reverie was broken by the siren whoop of a state police car, making a swift u-turn and aiming right for us.
our first thought in common was that we were in for a reprimand and a ticket of some kind. our eyes met in mutual dread. surely we were in trouble if a cop was pulling over.
in a magical moment i hope i never forget, a smiling young officer stepped out of his vehicle, announced that he had a hydraulic jack, tools and a safety vest in the trunk of his car... and asked, did we need any help?
thanks to their combined efforts we were back on the road in under twenty minutes and gleefully stuffing our gullets with delicious burgers and fries in another fifteen. oh, how eternally thankful we will be to that kind state police officer. our trip proceeded from this happy high note to be one of our best ever.
which brings me to why
christopher nolan is awesome. because of
batman, etc. we were able to drive into town the following morning and buy the four new tires we'd known we needed for months. we bought them without a worry over how we would afford them, or what we might have to sacrifice to have them. we just pulled in, picked out the goodyears and continued on our merry way!
and that, my friends, is truly awesome.
thank you, sir. and thank you, dear w. and thank you, officer scott.
my heroes.