Thank God for AAA

Now, I know I'm getting REALLY old...I mean, old as DIRT kinda old!

I'm so old that I actually remember a time when service stations were just that, Service Stations.

I remember a rubber hose that ran along the ground & as you drove over it it would ding,

alerting the Service Station attendant that he had a customer.

He'd come running out, smile on his face in his clean, white uniform, hat cocked

to one side & yell out "What can I get ya?", & as we all sat comfortably in the car

my Daddy would yell back, "Fill her up with Ethel please."

I never knew who Ethel was until I got much older, but I figured she was a nice lady cuz our

car always ran down the road perfectly after we got filled with her.  ;)

These gentle men not only filled your car up with gas, but they also:

washed your windshields spotless,

checked your oil,

checked the radiator,

checked the air pressure in your tires

& if any of these were amiss, they fixed the problem immediately, with a smile.

I MISS those days, I really do. Life was just SWEETER.

Fast Forward fifty years...

Yesterday, I had a tire blow out. Not just a little, I came out of the store & my tire was flat

or a small, slow leak of air as I was driving down the road & had to pull over.

I had a going, 65mph, on a 2 lane HWY, in the middle of NOWHERE

BLOWOUT!!!

'Shut the Front Door', I'm surprised I didn't die.

It was 6:30pm, I didn't know what city I was in cuz I was in the middle of the desert,

the shoulder WAS the desert, I was an hour from home, an hour from my friends house,

cars & semi's were flying past me at the speed of sound, I was freaked out, a little stupefied

& the one thing I AM GRATEFUL for in these modern times, is my cell phone.

So, what do I do first...

Call my Hubby & what does he tell me to do, call AAA & call him right back.

THANK GOD for AAA!!!

I called the emergency hot line & talk to Angie.

I gave her my card number & she then asks, "Where are you?"

I panicky answer like the brilliant woman that I am, "I don't know!"

She asks "What city are you in?" I answer, "I don't know, I'm in the middle of a desert."

Brilliant, right?

Long story short, through my vague ramblings & inaccurate information, she decides my

location & sends a AAA tow truck out to help me. It will take 54 minutes.

Call Hubby back, we decide it's silly for him to drive that far, I will wait.

He tells me there are crazy drivers out there, not to wait in the car...

I say I'm scared of someone seeing me & kidnapping me {oldnapping me}

or maybe even worse, getting bite by a snake.

He says, just take my water & take a little walk off the road & make it a pleasant wait.

I say ok...I stay in the car & put my seat belt on, Angie calls again to check on me.

An hour later as the sun is getting lower in the sky, I hear the sound of a truck

pulling up behind me...yipppeeee, I'm saved!!!

I hop out of the car clapping my hands & waving...do all women do this

or am I just a moron? The sun is now slightly behind the driver as he jumps out of the

truck, clipboard in hand, blue one piece uniform on & a smile on his face.

"Are you Susie?", "Yes, yes, that's me...I've been waiting!"

"Can I see your card Mam?" "Oh yes, here it is, I've got it!"

"Thank you Mam, no worries. I'll take care of everything. These drivers out here

are crazy! If I could have you step back & away from the car for your own safety,

I would really appreciate it."

"Certainly, certainly, why didn't I think of that!"  ;)

He now went to work & with the sun setting behind him, there was a soft glow of light

surrounding him. His skin glistened & his hair blew softly in the desert breeze,

at least that's the way I remember it.

He mentions that he was leaving to go home when he got the call, but was concerned

about a women being stranded out here alone...I think he's my savior.

As he finishes up, I thank him profusely & run over to my purse to get him a tip.

I only have $3 & I fold it up & put it in his hand. He says no, he can't except it. I say

he must. He says he can't take my last few dollars & I say he has to take it. I say he saved

me & it's the least I can do & wish it were more.

He shakes my hand & says, with a smile on his face,

"It's just my job."

I get in my car & slowly merge back out into the traffic, finally heading for home.

I think, I hope he stops at a bar before he goes home & has a beer on me.

THANK GOD for AAA!

XOXO

vintagesusie