Parts buying trip has side adventures.

[In The Ten Ring]

I drove two hours one-way to meet a member and pay off the remainder on two fenders. While loading those up, a lady pulls into the lot pushing her entire exhaust system. It had broken off at the exhaust manifold.


I couldn't wait, I had to walk over and check on her. It wasn't a girl at all....it was a rather hairy guy but he needed help just the same. I promised to do just that when I was done.

We finished up business, I got the fenders tied down, and over I went. The guy had already jacked up that side and been under his car but he didn't have anything to tie up the pipe. *It had been wired up for some time and apparently wasn't getting any flow. The clotheshangers had given way.

I loaned him a cushion to get on top of and I laid down a sheet and put my jack into use on the other side to give him more room. With my help (and rope) we tied up the pipe as well as it could be tied up. The guy DEMANDED I take payment but I refused. Then he said "at least let me buy you an ice cream." (We were in front of an ice cream shop).

I took him up on that and it turns out the guy is cool as can be. We chatted an hour and he led me to the interstate since the direct way was blocked by a paving crew. I hope to chat with him again as it seems we have a lot in common and in all the years of helping people on the road I have never kept in touch with any of them.

I headed on home and close to my parents' house I see another car stopped with flashers on and a person apparently changing a tire. *It's 10 PM by this time. Turns out this is a bombshell blonde (that apparently really was a female) and I ask if she needs my help.

Now things get interesting. Here I'm thinking "boy I am going to be the hero again and this time to a hot chick" when the jack starts losing pressure and I just can't get those lug nuts off. A police officer pulls up (guy is built like a tank, there goes any hope of me impressing her) and he gets right down to help me. He also blocks off the exit lane and puts his blue lights on, a very smart and welcome move.

Ugh....I have been twisting on some sort of faux hub cap nut covers!

But I redeem myself a bit when I remember dad's breaker bar and deep well set....the two of us get the real lug nuts off after the officer rips that hubcap away. Then it's fail city as my jack lets the hub sit all the way to the gravel....not looking good for Ten Ring here.

Her boyfriend shows up (geeze, why are the pretty ones always taken?) with a jack that isn't leaking fluid. His jack saves the day, after we get mine out of there. What? Her spare is flat? No surprise and no worry, Ten Ring's electric tire pump brings down the curtain of this fail drama.

Turns out the cop knows the boyfriend and we joke about how bald (very bald) her flat tire is. Attempting to make up for this fail he pulls up the girl's shirt to expose her holstered Springfield XD 9mm. No wonder she was so OK with a stranger (me) helping her at night when she had already called her boyfriend to come.

We get her pumped up, changed up, and I load up all my tools. They give me a hearty thanks and it's off to unload the fenders.

Now if I had gone when I had planned to, I wouldn't have been around to help. Plus I wouldn't know the jack needs a new o-ring and dad's tool bag really needs road flares.

*I know a donut does not go up front but she only had about 5 miles to go, I figured she'd be OK. If she had had the time, I would have encouraged her to put the donut onto the rear and the good rear tire onto the front, as that's what I do when that has happened to me.