The car...again

Okay now that more then 24 hours have passed I think I can write about my car without crying ... or screaming while stomping my feet.

In the last couple of months I have spent more then $1,200 to fix the various problems with my not-so-beloved car. I am not happy about it but it was a decision (or decisions) that I made. The latest was to spend just under $200 to have a new battery installed.

I was torturing my sweet Ladybug on Sunday by running errands. We went to the library. And aside from laying on top of a giant Mickey Mouse, that looked completely inappropriate, she did really well. We went to the grocery store. And despite the fact that she apparently lost the ability to walk a straight line and resorted to twirling and spinning down every aisle, she did really well. She even managed to get in the car, in the car seat, and buckled up without me asking more than 3 times. I buckled up. I turned the key.

Nothing.

Well, the radio came on but that was it. In disbelief I turned the key again. I really, truly believed I would get a different result. I didn't. So I turned it again...and again... until I realized I was going to need to try a new approach. So I popped the hood. I tried to look like I knew what I was doing but I am pretty sure that I just looked desperate. I know what an engine looks like but really the only thing I am qualified to do is add oil. So I checked the dip stick. It was low. Which I expected because it has been nearly 3000 miles since the last oil change, the car has a little bit of a leak (yet another thing that needs to still get fixed), and it is old. So Ladybug and I went back into the store and bought some oil. I put it in the car. I turned the key, again.

Nothing.

I have no idea why I thought oil would make the car start.

This is when Ladybug really starts to talk. She wants to know why the car won't start. SO DO I! She wants to know how we are getting home. SO DO I! Talk ... talk ... talk. It is amazing how quickly my mood can go from joking and having fun... to "if she breathes at me in the wrong direction I might bite off her head." I try to keep myself in check but I am instantly stressed. I am letting Ladybug play in the grassy area in front of the car. I am banging my head repeatedly on the steering wheel when I hear the woman next to me say to Ladybug, "Do you know where your mommy is?"

Me: Right here.
Woman: No I mean this little girl. (pointing at Ladybug)
Me: Yep. Me.
Woman: (Complete look of disbelief)
Me: (roll my eyes)

Have I mentioned that Ladybug is a transracial adoption? I am so not in the mood to explain that I adopted her. I know she doesn't look like me. Well, some people say she does but I am pretty sure they are actually talking about attitude and not facial features. My car is not working -- I don't want to answer her questions. I guess Ladybug looking at me and saying "Mama..." satisfies her and she gets back in her car.

I give up. It is time to call AAA. They actually installed the battery in. And they told me that if I had a problem they would come out and service the battery. I just didn't think I would be making that call just 9 days after it was installed. 9 DAYS! I call. They promise to send someone. I wait. Ladybug makes friends with every person that walks by. She is not shy. About 45 minutes later a very nice boy from AAA arrives. He really looks like a recent college grad who is wondering how his sociology degree landed him a job driving around in a AAA truck testing batteries on a Saturday. He tests the battery. He is sure the battery is fine. Fully charged. He tells me I have to call a tow truck.

Yes, I called AAA the first time to tell them my car is dead and they send out someone who does not have a tow truck. So I call again and we wait again. Ladybug is getting so bored she starts throwing things at the cars. Not mine. I call my mom and ask her to come pick me up. Oh yeah, she now lives 700 miles away. So I wait more. And finally a tow truck shows up. No college grad this time. This time he is a beer belly, tank shirt wearing, good ole boy. And he is randomly chewing on a straw. Did I just enter an episode of Dukes of Hazard? But he is nice. He bangs around the engine. And by bang around I mean he takes a screw driver and bangs at various parts of the engine and tells me to turn the key. It sort of feels like he is taking the theory that if he kicks it enough it will start working again.

It doesn't.

The car gets towed. Ladybug looks up at me and asks, "Can we go out for ice cream?" It is at this point I am grateful that I didn't buy any in the store and wondering if everything survived the delay in the trunk. We get a ride home from a friend. And the stress continues as I try to figure out what next.

Part II will come tomorrow...

Mean Mama