Flat Tire

On Friday I was planning to walk out the door as close to 3:05 as possible.  We were planning to head out of town to spend the weekend at Tim's parents house and we wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible.  Well, I walked out the door around 3:30 (I can never get out of that place on time) and hopped in the car.  I put Ellie in reverse and hmmm?  What was that odd sound?  Oh well!  I have places to be. . .

Then, I got out to the "circle" and ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. . .

Yeah, that's a flat tire. 

Here's the deal.  The "circle" is NOT a good part of town.  I teach in a very hostile neighborhood.  There are a lot of not so go things that happen in the neighborhood.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my school.  I love teaching in this type of area.  I have found it to be one of the most rewarding parts of my life.  That said, I don't want to be broken down in this area, alone!  My solution, keep driving and pray I make it to the gas station an eighth of a mile down the road.  ba-dum, ba-dump, ba-dum, ba-dum.

I pull in and by the time I park my car near the air pump I'm just happy to be off the road.  My tire is gone.  Fully shredded.  I don't think the air will help! 

I call Tim who is still at school teaching.  Like all good teachers his phone is on silent and he isn't answering.  So I call again, and again, and again, and again thinking that eventually he'll realize that it's a real emergency and I'm stranded at a gas station in a not so great part of town. 

In a panic I call the girls I work with who were conveniently at a goodbye party across the street.  So there we are.  Three women changing a tire at a gas station.  Did I mention it was pouring the rain? 

I felt so bad!  The girls were soaked and they still had to go back to the party!

While we were changing the tire nearly 20 men walked past.  None of which asked if we needed help or if they could call someone for us.  2 did ask me what time it was though.  I guess they heard me calling my husband in a panic and knew that in my crisis I had a phone which also had the time.  *sigh*  What has the world come to that a MAN doesn't offer to help a woman in distress? 

Needless to say we didn't need any men!  We got the tire changed and my wonderful husband who was 40 minutes away located a new tire and had it paid for and waiting for me when I made it to him nearly an hour later. 

He's a winner! 

I've mentioned that my car is falling apart before my very eyes.  We are currently on the hunt for a new car.  Actually, a new SUV, so if you have any advice we are all ears!