Making Lemonade

Some Monday mornings things just don't go well at all. First Monday of the new year, and the little old '99 VW was having problems. It was running rough, like it wasn't firing on all cylinders, and the "check engine" light was blinking ominously.

I called our mechanic. He said his schedule was too full today, but drop it off and he'd get to it tomorrow. What to do, what to do? The shop, my office, and [The Man I Love's] office are in three totally different directions. Did the shop have loaner car I could use, or a rental? They could arrange a rental when I got there, he said.

So I gathered my things and started up the driveway. Our driveway is pretty steep. The poor VW grunted and wheezed and quivered and shuddered, and I feared it would stall out , blocking the driveway so our other car would be trapped - but fortunately, its "think-I-can" spirit pulled it up over the crest onto our road. I parked and went back in the house to call AAA.

AAA said they'd dispatch a truck within a half hour, but my mechanic was more than seven miles, so I'd have to pay for the extra distance. Yikes!

A half hour later, AAA called to say the truck was so busy that morning it wouldn't get to us until noon! Now what? I had to get to work!

So here I was, no working car, paying for towing, and three more hours for a ride to pick up a rental car - that I had to pay for - before I could go to work. What a bad run of luck at the beginning of the year!

"Well," said the guy from the towing company, "can you leave the key and the check somewhere? We can pick it up and take it right to the shop for you. Then you can call them."

Hmm. If I could just get into work, they could handle it. And I remembered there was a small car rental place near my office. I got on the phone. Yes, they could rent me a car. They specialized in unusual cars, what did I want? Could I see when I get there? I asked.

[The Man I Love] could give me a ride to the office. I got there in time to get a little work done before lunch, and walked over to the car rental place.

Look what I got! When life hands you lemons - make some lemonade!