The Drive Home

The day of our departure started like any other. I got up first and took my shower and wandered down to the lobby for a great cup of coffee. I returned to the room and slipped outside to enjoy the serenity of our resort one last time before we would drive home. I kept thinking, my backyard is pretty awesome I wonder why I don't have coffee outside at my house, oh yeah bugs! Has anyone else ever noticed there are no bugs on the entire Disney world property? I wonder how they do that? I probably do not want to know the answer to that question. We should do a study to see if people who work there have a higher rate of cancer.

We all got packed up and loaded in the car by 8 or 9, I can't honestly remember being that it was a whole week ago today. We drove until lunchtime and then pulled over and got some Mickey D's and some gas, and then we were on the road again. We were proud of the progress we were making at estimating what time we would be dropping off Cassie and what time we would be getting home. All of us dreaming of being home. The girls were packed pretty tightly in the back seat of our little Nissan and I think they were all very anxious to be getting to our destination. I remarked about our little car and how much I love her. Jeff bought me this car when we were first married. It was an amazing gift for me who brought nothing but me, my kid and a huge amount of debt to our marriage. Then I got a wonderful, marvelous car as a gift. We traveled all through Europe in our little car. Then she was in storage during our four year tour at Japan. What an amazing car to have always gotten us to so many places without any problems. We did take her to the mechanic and paid to have her checked before our trip. We got her new tires and a radiator flush per the mechanics advice. We even checked her oil before embarking on the trip. But, we never checked the oil during the trip or before heading home.

About ten minutes after our lunch break we started to hear a funny noise, then it got louder and we pulled over on the side of the freeway. As we pulled to the side of road the oil light came on. Jeff and I got out of the car and checked the oil, it was empty. How did that happen? We hadn't seen any oil in the parking place of the resort or at our stop? Jeff decided to walk down the side of the freeway to the call box and call for some help. As he was walking a truck driver with a truck full of logs pulled over in front of him and offered Jeff a ride. The girls were very worried that Jeff was about to be kidnapped by the truck driver. He called me on the cell phone and told me that he was going to accept a ride from the truck driver to the next exit in order to get us some oil.

The girls and I were waiting in the car for Jeff's return and it was very hot. Middle of the day in Florida without any a/c. We rolled down the windows and waited. We were just on the other side of a little line from the traffic. Trucks were rolling past us and we could feel the entire car shake. I was terrified we were going to be hit and made all the girls keep their seat belts on. Lily was so upset about the noise. She hates loud noises and cannot tolerate the vacuum cleaner or garage door opener etc. She was crying hysterically insisting that I roll up all the windows to lessen the sound of the truck going by. I didn't think that it would be a good idea to roll up the windows in the over 90 degree heat us inside of a black car. She cried and cried.

I decided to take Lily to the forest just off the freeway. There was the freeway, the emergency pull over lane, some grass, a ditch and then a forest. I grabbed Lily and her favorite blanket and me in my flip flops we trudged over to the forest. We was even more distraught about the forest than the car. The older girls elected to stay in the car. As we got to some shade I set down her favorite blanket and we both sat down on the blanket in the forest. She was furious with me but eventually calmed down. Meanwhile, enormous bugs were jumping in her hair and onto the blanket, I was thinking I hope a snake or alligator doesn't come along. Maybe the forest isn't such a good idea.

A police car pulled up alongside our car and he was talking to the older girls. He never looked over at me. I thought for sure the first thing the girls would do is point to me. I got Lily and the blanket and was trudging back toward the car, threw the thorny bushes. We both ended up with very scratched up legs and finally we reached the police officer and our car. Just as I was about to speak up as he still didn't see me, there came Jeff running across the freeway. Jeff had received a ride back from the rest stop from another good Samaritan and had returned to save us with a bag full of oil. He explained this to the police officer who promptly wished us good luck and sped away.

We put the oil in the car until the dipstick told us she had enough. We buckled ourselves into the car and Jeff turned the key. The noises amplified the car shook rattled, coughed and died, never to start again. Stranded on the side of the road, the police officer gone, Jeff trudged down the road to the call box once again. Just as he was walking another good Samaritan (that makes three in less than an hour) stopped and offered him a ride. Jeff asked if this man would take us to the rest stop instead. Jeff wanted to push the button in the call box and so I got into a car with a stranger and the three girls and we were driven about five miles to the next rest stop. I had wisely changed out of the flip flops and into my tennis shoes.

At the rest stop I took Lily to use the rest room while Cassie called her parents and Mandy bought Lily a chocolate milk and found us a place to sit and wait. Mandy is my hero thinking of her sister like that. The girls were all visibly shaken as was I. We wondered what would happen how we would find a way home. I thought that all these nice people who work here at this rest stop must have a phone book or know of a tow truck. I called Jeff and asked if he wanted me to call for a tow truck. He said we should wait because he had pushed the button in the call box and he didn't want to push the button and then not need it. So we waited and when no one came to help him, Jeff called me back and had me get the tow truck.

The tow truck came from the East, he drove past Jeff on the freeway and came to the rest stop to pick up me and the girls first. We were able to fit the girls in the back behind the seats of course there were no seat belts in the tow truck. Then when we were all loaded up we drove back toward our car on the freeway, we had to drive past the car and continue on to the next exit. We re-entered the freeway and drove to the car and picked up Jeff. The girls and I stayed in the tow truck while Jeff helped the tow truck driver load up our vehicle. The girls and I had been very tense and barley even spoke the whole time we had been away from Jeff. I am not really someone you want to be with during a crisis, I freeze up. The older girls were practically shaking with the whole situation but Jeff he jumps into the cab of the tow truck saying, "this is better than a ride at Disney World". The mood of the family was instantly diffused and we all started to chat and life went on.

Sometimes you have a moment of clarity in life. I had mine that day. Jeff is the best husband ever. He is the person you want to have in a crisis. Not only is he able to diffuse frustrating scary situations and get us all to relax and laugh, but he is pretty smart as well.

We have to drive down to the next exit, re-enter the freeway and then drive back the other way to the garage, all told we were charged for a 30 mile tow at nearly $200. We had our car looked at and it was decided that our engine was gone forever. The mechanic offered to trade our car for the price of the tow plus $150. Even with the new tires, new muffler, new radio, full tank of gas, etc. She is the most beautiful wonderful car, but we had to say goodbye. Jeff had me walk across the street and down the road with no sidewalk to a motel and get the girls out of the heat. By the time we were checked into the room he came and told me the news about the $150. The mechanic had a lot full of used cars we could pick from to replace our car. I wanted to do that. Jeff wanted to get a rental car to get home and take our time and make an informed decision and buy a new car for the family. We discussed for awhile, I strongly disagreed, but in the end we went with Jeff's plan. Not that I didn't complain about it for the rest of the day.

Jeff and I walked back across the street to empty out our car. I started to cry. I loved that car so much and this was horrid. We got out as much luggage as we could carry and started to trudge across the street. I had way too much and it was very hot, this walk across and down the street was very difficult for me. Jeff showed no signs of fatigue. I couldn't help but think of the amazing race, one of Jeff's favorite shows. I always thought that we would fight if we did something like that but here we were in the middle of no where Florida with no car and carrying our bags across the street in the extreme heat. I would say that the walk was about a 1/4 of a mile, I am sure Jeff would say less. But, we weren't fighting I was more proud and in love with him than ever. I have no idea what he thought of me, but if I was annoying him, he never showed it.

It took us two trip to get it all to the hotel and then we had a lovely dinner at Denny's. We had to call my dad to get the phone numbers of rental car companies because the phone book from the hotel was very small. My dad looked up the numbers and we began to call and call. We were hoping to find someone that would come pick us up but we were lucky to find anyone within a 100 miles who even had a car to rent. Jeff had to take a taxi into Tallahassee about 60 miles away to get the rental car and then come back to pick us up. First we spent the night, we had to sleep with Lily. I do not think we slept at all, she is a kicker. The next morning Jeff got us the rental car and drove us all home. All safe and sound.

Next time I will tell you all about our brand new car.