How a bunch of elementary school kids saved my day.
So, I had a slightly surreal experience just a bit ago.
I had an appointment at 3:30pm and needed to get gas and run a fast errand before getting to it, so I left my house about 2:50pm, just in time to catch the elementary school by my house letting out. I usually get home from work around exactly the same time, and often see the same groups of kids walking home and enjoy watching them while I wait for the crossing guard, etc. There's an adorable little albino girl in sunglasses I sometimes see who always randomly makes me smile, for instance. Watching all the kids walking home is definitely more fun than bitching in my head about how much longer it takes to get past the school during this time of the day (because of all the kids crossing the street and additional cars). So I try to enjoy the silly antics they do, the way the group together, the way sometimes there are ten kids walking back with a different parent in charge each day, or what funny fashions are in now, etc. Once I got past the school I remember thinking that although I still don't think I'd ever have a kid if I dated someone who didn't want them or remained single all of my life, but that the thought of being with a person who someday wants kids really doesn't scare me the way it used to. It'd lead me on a completely different path than I'm currently on, and it's not one I'm rushing toward or anything, but it's no longer one that completely turns me off. With the absolutely right partner, I could see that being a possibility, and can see myself enjoying having a kid or two. It's a pretty huge thought for me, because not five years ago I was a card carrying member of
childfree, and tend to still find most children annoying. (Though I've discovered it's usually the parents not the kids that I dislike.)
Anyway, there's a 7-11 about two blocks from the elementary school, and I pulled in there to get my gas. $40 and a mostly-full tank later, the car in front of me, blocking me in, still hasn't started pumping gas. Since I am on a slightly tight schedule, I decided to back out and go around her, something I've done before at this particular gas station. Today, however, I misjudge the distance to the curb and one of my tires ends up going over the edge. This isn't usually a problem, because most curbs are the same height on either side, so you just give the car a little gas and pop back over. However, at this gas station the curb on the other side is like a ten inch drop into dirt next to the sidewalk, compared to the five inches on my side, and due to the way I was angled, the tires weren't getting enough traction to back up OR pull forward. The tire was just spinning.
After getting out and assessing the situation, trying to turn the steering wheel a different way and having no success, I get back in my car and call my dad. I'm ten minutes from home and have four bars on my cellphone, but for some reason the call won't go through. While I'm waiting for it to start ringing, someone taps on my window and asks what's wrong. I look up to see a kid looking in, and despite the fact that it's a kid, I explain to him that my tire isn't getting traction, I'm stuck, etc. He looks about twelve and has three or four other kids with him, all of whom look about seven to nine years old, clearly walking to the bus stop after getting out of school.
The kid suggests I put the car into neutral and he and one of the nine-year-olds try to push it out. Ignoring my incredulity that this kid even knows what "neutral" is, I attempt it, to no success. I get out and tell him there's no way that a twelve-year-old and a nine-year-old are going to be able to push my car, and try to help them push, also to no avail. Someone says the twelve-year-old is actually fourteen (though there are no junior highs around here, so idk), and the fourteen-year-old finds a large rock and shoves it under my tire. That still doesn't work. He finds a paving stone in the dirt next to the car and sticks that and the rock under. It actually looks like it could help, as it's forming a little ramp up the curb. I try again, forward, neutral and (carefully) reverse, with the kids pushing/helping, but it's still not budging.
I try calling my dad again and, as the phone is ringing, a motorcyclist who stopped to get gas asks if he can help. The kids and I explain the situation quickly, and he thinks we're gonna need a jack to get out of the situation. (Frankly, I'm not sure a jack would even have helped. The tire was already lifted. It needed to be on something.) The motorcyclist sees the rocks the kids have set up and, clearly thinking it also looked like a good plan, suggests I put the car in drive and try again, this time with him AND the kids pushing. My dad picks up about the time I'm giving it gas, and with the added strength of the motorcycle guy, the car manages to get on the rock and then over the curb. Success!
I'm thanking everyone profusely as my dad is listening confusedly, and explain to him there was a situation, but a bunch of kids saved me with the help of the muscles of a motorcyclist. I check my tires and axel and while I'm not completely convinced they're undamaged, the tire isn't blown and the car runs smoothly to my appointment, errand and back, so I can't complain.
I am seriously impressed! I don't know why that kid had such knowledge about cars, but his quick thinking definitely got me out of that situation. I really thought I was going to have to call Triple A and cancel my appointment and get a tow truck out there or something, but a handful of mostly-elementary school kids saved me with two rocks and the muscles of an adult. If I'd left twenty minutes earlier or twenty minutes later, I undoubtedly would've missed them and it very likely would've ended screwing up my evening.
So, wherever you are tonight kids, thanks very much! I guess you're not all so bad after all.
It's also stuff like this that gives me kind of epic story ideas. Just saying.
I had an appointment at 3:30pm and needed to get gas and run a fast errand before getting to it, so I left my house about 2:50pm, just in time to catch the elementary school by my house letting out. I usually get home from work around exactly the same time, and often see the same groups of kids walking home and enjoy watching them while I wait for the crossing guard, etc. There's an adorable little albino girl in sunglasses I sometimes see who always randomly makes me smile, for instance. Watching all the kids walking home is definitely more fun than bitching in my head about how much longer it takes to get past the school during this time of the day (because of all the kids crossing the street and additional cars). So I try to enjoy the silly antics they do, the way the group together, the way sometimes there are ten kids walking back with a different parent in charge each day, or what funny fashions are in now, etc. Once I got past the school I remember thinking that although I still don't think I'd ever have a kid if I dated someone who didn't want them or remained single all of my life, but that the thought of being with a person who someday wants kids really doesn't scare me the way it used to. It'd lead me on a completely different path than I'm currently on, and it's not one I'm rushing toward or anything, but it's no longer one that completely turns me off. With the absolutely right partner, I could see that being a possibility, and can see myself enjoying having a kid or two. It's a pretty huge thought for me, because not five years ago I was a card carrying member of
childfree, and tend to still find most children annoying. (Though I've discovered it's usually the parents not the kids that I dislike.)Anyway, there's a 7-11 about two blocks from the elementary school, and I pulled in there to get my gas. $40 and a mostly-full tank later, the car in front of me, blocking me in, still hasn't started pumping gas. Since I am on a slightly tight schedule, I decided to back out and go around her, something I've done before at this particular gas station. Today, however, I misjudge the distance to the curb and one of my tires ends up going over the edge. This isn't usually a problem, because most curbs are the same height on either side, so you just give the car a little gas and pop back over. However, at this gas station the curb on the other side is like a ten inch drop into dirt next to the sidewalk, compared to the five inches on my side, and due to the way I was angled, the tires weren't getting enough traction to back up OR pull forward. The tire was just spinning.
After getting out and assessing the situation, trying to turn the steering wheel a different way and having no success, I get back in my car and call my dad. I'm ten minutes from home and have four bars on my cellphone, but for some reason the call won't go through. While I'm waiting for it to start ringing, someone taps on my window and asks what's wrong. I look up to see a kid looking in, and despite the fact that it's a kid, I explain to him that my tire isn't getting traction, I'm stuck, etc. He looks about twelve and has three or four other kids with him, all of whom look about seven to nine years old, clearly walking to the bus stop after getting out of school.
The kid suggests I put the car into neutral and he and one of the nine-year-olds try to push it out. Ignoring my incredulity that this kid even knows what "neutral" is, I attempt it, to no success. I get out and tell him there's no way that a twelve-year-old and a nine-year-old are going to be able to push my car, and try to help them push, also to no avail. Someone says the twelve-year-old is actually fourteen (though there are no junior highs around here, so idk), and the fourteen-year-old finds a large rock and shoves it under my tire. That still doesn't work. He finds a paving stone in the dirt next to the car and sticks that and the rock under. It actually looks like it could help, as it's forming a little ramp up the curb. I try again, forward, neutral and (carefully) reverse, with the kids pushing/helping, but it's still not budging.
I try calling my dad again and, as the phone is ringing, a motorcyclist who stopped to get gas asks if he can help. The kids and I explain the situation quickly, and he thinks we're gonna need a jack to get out of the situation. (Frankly, I'm not sure a jack would even have helped. The tire was already lifted. It needed to be on something.) The motorcyclist sees the rocks the kids have set up and, clearly thinking it also looked like a good plan, suggests I put the car in drive and try again, this time with him AND the kids pushing. My dad picks up about the time I'm giving it gas, and with the added strength of the motorcycle guy, the car manages to get on the rock and then over the curb. Success!
I'm thanking everyone profusely as my dad is listening confusedly, and explain to him there was a situation, but a bunch of kids saved me with the help of the muscles of a motorcyclist. I check my tires and axel and while I'm not completely convinced they're undamaged, the tire isn't blown and the car runs smoothly to my appointment, errand and back, so I can't complain.
I am seriously impressed! I don't know why that kid had such knowledge about cars, but his quick thinking definitely got me out of that situation. I really thought I was going to have to call Triple A and cancel my appointment and get a tow truck out there or something, but a handful of mostly-elementary school kids saved me with two rocks and the muscles of an adult. If I'd left twenty minutes earlier or twenty minutes later, I undoubtedly would've missed them and it very likely would've ended screwing up my evening.
So, wherever you are tonight kids, thanks very much! I guess you're not all so bad after all.
It's also stuff like this that gives me kind of epic story ideas. Just saying.