Set out this morning to take my daughter and grandson to visit my mother over the Easter weekend. Ten weeks have passed since my grandson's birth, but due to a number of issues, my mother was unable to make the 5 hour car trip to see him. So, this trip was a very special undertaking.
After completing what seemed like a pre-flight checklist: check the oil, feed the cat, set the thermostat, dump the trash, check the faucets, load the baby seat, load the playpen, load the baby, etc., we left the house only an hour or so later than planned. With everyone settled into their seats, we pulled out of the driveway feeling both excitement and some dread at the long drive ahead of us with the young baby. In less than one-half hour, the rhythm of the sounds on the road were replaced by the quick whop whop whop pattern so clearly reminiscent of a flat time. Easing the car to the shoulder, I found a parking space in the shade under an overpass. A quick glance at the visual evidence confirmed the left rear tire was, well, quite flat.
New plan:
Long ago, I'd anticipated such an event and stocked my repair kit with some 'flat fixer'. Following a quick shake of the can, I attached the nozzle to the tire valve and dispensed the solution into the tire. Unfortunately, the tire wasn't inflating primarily due to the fact the inside edge of the tire had pulled away from the rim. Rather than patching the hole tire and inflating the tire, the solution was simply blowing out the inside of the tire onto the ground.
New plan:
No problem, we'll use the spare --- oops!!! The spare was damaged beyond repair with the last flat tire and I never got around to replacing it.
New plan:
Still no problem, my brother would call his wife, she would take her truck to my brother's office, swap the truck for his car, come pick us up, and we'd take the flat tire and have it replaced. While we waited, it occurred to us the spare in his vehicle might fit the wheel on my van.
New plan:
If the spare fit, we could expedite the repair process and be back on our way in no time. She arrived, we tried the other spare, and it fit! As I began to lower the van off the jack, calm confidence was replaced by the painfully obvious reality, the new spare was also flat.
New plan:
We decided to leave the van sitting on the flattened spare tire, carry the flat tire into the town we had just passed (Rayville), drop by the Wal-mart and have the flat repaired, come back to the van, replace the tire and be on our way. Good plan! We load the baby, the daughter, my brother and I into the car with my sister-in-law (along with the flat tire), drove the 3 miles to the next exit, looped over the highway, then drove the 7 miles back to Rayville to the Wal-mart. We pulled in to the Super Wal-mart parking lot trying to get a quick glance of the tire center, but apparently we were on the wrong end of the building. A quick trip around the back of the building, then along the opposite side, and back to the front door confirmed the worst - there is no tire center at the Rayville Wal-Mart Supercenter.
New plan:
Buy an air pump, go back to the van, inflate the spare tire, drive all the vehicles back to Monroe at one time, repair the tire and start the whole trip over. Good plan! We spotted a truck stop just ahead and stopped to buy the air pump. Funny thing about truck stops, while they carry every device known to mankind with a cigarette adapter plug, they didn't sell an air pump. No problem, let's ask the checkout clerk; he's local and should be able to direct us.
brother: where can I buy an air pump?
clerk: auto parts store
brother: do you have an auto parts store here?
clerk: Auto Zone
brother: do you know where the Auto Zone store is?
clerk: in town
brother: where in town?
clerk: up the road - on the left
brother: thank you
clerk: (blank stare)
There's just something warm and refreshing about country banter.
A quick jaunt up the road and we located the Auto Zone store. Not only did they have an air pump, they had two. One a foot pump model for $10 and a 12-volt model for $50 which was capable of delivering 250psi of air pressure or inflate your water toys (your choice). Having experienced the foot model earlier in life, I quickly parted with President Grant. Then, with air pump in hand, we journeyed back to the van waiting ever so patiently on the flattened spare tire to inflate. Although the air pump said it was strong, it didn't claim to be quick. Success at last! We eventually managed to get enough air in the tire so we could make the trip back to Monroe to effect the necessary repairs.
Standing alongside the interstate highway this morning, though, waiting for the spare tire to inflate some thirty miles from our point of origin, I was reminded of how the simplest things lend so much richness to life. When the blew out, we were able to park in the shade of an overpass. A mile either way and we would have spent several hours sitting in the direct sun with a young baby. Even with the temperatures warming, a nice comfortable breeze was coming in from the southwest. It was just enough to keep the inside of the vehicle comfortable while we waited. The two good Samaritan's that stopped just to check on us while we waited reaffirmed there are still good people that do good things for no particular reason except to be neighborly. I was reminded how technology, especially the cell phone, has enabled us to remain so closely linked to assistance when we need it. A final reminder of the simple things is the strength and forgiving warmth of a good family. With my brother at my side, we were able to plot and plan while we reflected back on funnier days and even funnier relatives long since departed.
It would be easy to view the events of the day as having interrupted the trip. Yet, to do so, would be to miss the value in living. As the sun rises each morning, we are greeted by the unfathomable possibilities afforded each of us. How tragic it would be to see the flat tire as a problem and then miss out on the blessing of everything that followed. And even in retrospect, I wouldn't trade that flat tire for anything.
Quite road weary, we did make to mom's house before midnight cruising on two new tires from the Wal-mart Supercenter -- but how they got there, well, that's another tale.
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