So I’m at work yesterday, and I get a call from a guy who says there’s a woman struggling to change the tire on her car. I explain the police don’t change tires for people, but is she perhaps blocking traffic?
Guy – No, but she needs help. The car fell on her.
Me – It fell on her?
Guy – Well, not on her, but it fell off the jack and she needs help.
Me – Is she elderly?
Guy – No, she just needs help! You need to get someone out here now!
It turned out to be my SISTER!
Yesterday was the last day of finals in Christy’s graduate program at Berkeley, she’s had over a hundred pages or work due just this week, she had an upcoming final at 5pm and an imperative meeting at work that she couldn’t get out of.
She had gone out to her car to find a flat tire. (This is the same car that cost her $800 earlier this week in transmission problems.) When she tried to change it, she found that the SPARE was flat. While she was realizing this, the car dropped off the jack and landed on the rotor.
She called, just as upset as I was that the neighbor reporting party didn’t help, and walked (in the rain) to the PD where she got my keys to use my car for the day. That’s when I inherited her day. Work got crazy, I got a ride home from work and realized just as we were pulling up that I didn’t have a KEY, as it was on the keyring with the car key. Dur.
I live in Oakland. My windows are shut tight when I’m gone, and I’ve never thought about leaving a key outside for In Case (actually, I thought about it briefly last week and dismissed the thought, yup). This was at five pm, so my friend who dropped me off and I went to dinner (big burgers and fried mushrooms) and then I waited at a neighbor’s house until Christy’s final was done. I had a Koigu sock on the needles, so it wasn’t no thing.
But by now, Christy’s in the air, winging her way to Atlanta to see Bethy! Wheee! She had a glitch in ticketing and had to get a first-class* seat on the way home. Even though it cost her more, don’t you think she deserves first-class? I do.
First-class all the way, baby! See you Monday.
*I’ve never flown first-class myself. It’s a goal, though. And footnotes rock.
I’ve been reading you for a while now, I guess I should de-lurk and start commenting! Glad your sister’s day got better with that first class flight. I had a similar tire situation recently. Went to rescue hubby and his vehicle problems, then on my way home got a flat tire, then the spare was flat, then the car battery died!
When you have a chance, do you think I could please have your hot water bottle cover? I’ve been promising hubby one for years, but until now haven’t seen one I like. Thanks!
All’s well that ends well! That is SO funny that that neighbor was calling about your sister! It’s such a small world.
Cripes, sounds like a doozy of a day for both you AND your sis!
I remember calling 411 information one day (many years ago) for a boyfriends fathers phone # (where boyfriend was staying). The 411 operator was one of his SISTERS! Yes, a small world 🙂
Where’s you go for the burgers?
Footnotes DO rock, indeed. They add a nice layer of subtext.
The comment function does, too — I’ve discovered that there’s a whole nother life going on in mine, thanks to you, my brother Jim, Sarah, and Ryan, for the most part.
Interesting.
And then sometimes the comments get dragged up to the level of the blog — all lovely.
Do you know, by the way, Henry Fielding’s play “Tom THumb”? It’s not really for production — it’s a hoot. About two thirds of it is actually hilarious footnotes.
Like Nabokov’s _Pale Fire_, where you’re well into the gawdawful poem “Pale Fire” before you realize that the real book is in the footnotes.
What a day that was! First class always has looked great to me. My dad got chosen for a cheap upgrade to it last year – an extra $30 or something. Comes from traveling alone instead of with a small child I bet. 🙂 My small child would be a doosy in first class.
I’m so happy to see you posting again. I think I said that before. I hate being without computer too!
I hope today goes better for you, and your sister.
Good lord, you scared the crap out of me, making me think your sister had been pinned under her car or something! That kind of situation just makes me want to cry. Last week I was out alone on the bike and it wouldn’t start, so I tried kickstarting it for about 20 minutes, which didn’t work, and while I was kickstarting it, I scraped my leg on the stupid bike. (Damn capri pants.) Of course, eight billion people were walking past and watching the foreigner. Grrr. Anyway, didn’t mean to make this all about ME — 🙂 –Christy definitely deserved a first-class ride, and I hope your sisters are having fun together!
you know you scared me, right? good grief.
i think first class is the *least* your sister deserved after that day.
glad you weren’t stranded with nothing to knit. gotta love the portability of our vice, no?
Yup, the first part of this scared the crap outta me too! I gotta love the inaccurate speech, though: “It fell on her…okay not really on her.” And yes, Christy def. deserves first-class! I’ve only flown that way once on a fluke and I keep waiting for the same fluke to happen.
I’m so glad that the day got better for you both! Your sister deserved that first class flight. And yikes! What a helpful dude that was, no? He deserves a gold star on his forehead. Hehe.
P.S. Flying first class is LUVERLY. Oh, so luverly. Wish I had the dough to fly that way all the time!