The Demise of Perry…

Picture this: A mild Colorado day. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining (when it’s not overcast), I’m driving down the I-25 with my music cranked and singing at the top of my lungs, my fellow interstate travelers were driving me crazy (literally! ha!)…it was a normal day. UNTIL…I hit “the object”. 

What was “the object” you ask? Well, that’s a good question. I wish I had an answer for you, but I’m just plumb unsure of what it was. I do have some information for you though, like I WILL tell you that it had no place being in the road. No siree. It’s place was on a car or tow truck somewhere far away from MY car. And I will also impart to you the truth that I tried to avoid the object in the road to no avail. I ran over it. And the object, for it’s part, gave me it’s own little present. A hole in my transmission fluid pan.

Did I know I even HAD a transmission fluid pan? No. No, I did not. And, I would have been perfectly happy to go through life without knowing that fact. Perfectly happy, did you hear me? 

Sigh.

I learned something today. I learned that cars are not likely to respond well when they have punctured parts. They are unlike humans and their need for piercings. They don’t like them. I have empirical data to prove it. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw smoke. Uh. Oh. Then, I smelled the smell that is universally code for “PULL OVER NOW!”

I exited the Interstate and pulled into the Term101 parking lot which was the nearest “safe” location I could think of.  When I looked back at the road, I could see a clear line of fluid marking the path I had taken. Well, good. At least I won’t be lost! I’m like the modern Gretel.

My friend Andrew opened the hood of the car (which looked like a big joke to me, by the way. Who are these people kidding with their plastic parts? Aren’t cars supposed to be made of METAL?) and together we determined that the red liquid pouring out of the bottom of my car was transmission fluid.

Really? Because it looked to me like my car was dying. There’s nothing more horrifying than to watch the car that has been a non-verbal friend and part of your life daily slowly become unusuable for its very purpose. I felt helpless.

But, I will tell you that I am sooo thankful to have OnStar. I communicated with roadside assistance and they called me a tow truck. The tow truck didn’t cost me anything and arrived within 30 minutes of the call. AND something to add into the “plus” category on our pro/con list I got to catch up with a few friends during that 30 minutes!

Also in the plus category are my friends. Andrew helped me to not freak out. Lorraine and Paul let me bug them for 20 some-odd minutes. Tiffany and Allison called to make sure that I was okay and to give me a ride if I needed it. And now I’m staying at Tiffany’s house overnight to get a ride to work in the morning.

PLUS, the mechanic from the dealership called. The repairs won’t be covered under my warranty, but so far it looks like they aren’t super deep gashes in my car’s internal workings. It’s still more than I want to pay, naturally, but it could have been so much worse. I’m thankful for the Lord’s provision for me even in this small little incident. And, I’m supposed to have my car back by lunch time tomorrow.

If you are going to hit an object in the road (and to be perfectly clear, I discourage it), this is the best way to do it.

To sum it up? Well, my car’s more holey than your car!