Story of teh Day- from last friday

Story of the day last Friday 9/12/2008

I wasn’t’ there. So I don’t’ really know what happened.
But I have been hearing about it.

It was raining.
Well, they also couldn’t’ get in.
To the car.Well, they had the key, they could get into the car- they just couldn’t’ get into the lot.
You see, the parking lot- the $3 parking lot where I managed to kill the car is locked, during business hours. Locked to anyone who doesn’t’ have a fancy key card.
The metal gates go down and the car carrying my husband and my friend’s husband, whom she had gallantly volunteered for this labor, was locked out.
And our little black car was locked in.
Well, for two guys on foot- toting a wrench set and a battery, the gates weren’t’ a problem.
It was however, going to be interesting getting out.
Todd, my friend’s husband- and you should all now pity him- because his wife is the best shopper I have ever met in my lifetime.
Okay, that is not why you should pity him.
You should pity him because I know it, which is why I called her to ask what tow company was the cheapest- which is how he found himself downtown breaking into a parking lot on a rainy Friday toting a rather heavy car battery.
Oh yeah, and the battery was one of the ones that doesn’t’ have a handle.

So, the guys snuck in, past the metal gates, and proceeded to change the car battery for the dead one that was in the car.
Of course, especially since it was a Friday afternoon and the time is ticking away until Shabbat starts, and especially because it was raining, this wasn’t’ allowed to go smoothly.
First of all, the Honda battery was connected via bolts that had never heard of the American measuring system.
They refused to conform to any of the wrenches that Todd had brought with him- each nicely set in its own little slot.
And, second, they were also nicely corroded. Of course, that is to be expected, after all rust, corrosion, dirt- these things go along with old, dead car batteries. Kind of like cake and icing.
Maybe even more so.
And third, it was a rainy Friday.
Rainy.
As in very rainy.
Yes, there were moments that it didn’t’ rain all that hard- but none of those moments happened to correspond to the moments those guys were out there changing the battery.
They were both soaked inside of their waterproof coats- the types with hoods. Soaked as in the water was rolling up and down their sleeves- the insides of the sleeves.
Soaked as in Todd had to pour the water out of the wrench sets box three times, because it had filled up.
Rainy as in Todd will probably have our phone number blocked, from now on……

And where was Todd’s car?Well, obviously, it was outside the parking lot- parked in a no-parking area- with the blinkers on.
The one thing that went well was that it didn’t’ get a ticket.
I hope.
I hope I don’t’ hear, later, in an added detail, that it did……

Finally, the new battery is installed.
The old one is in the hatchback .
And the car…starts.

Except it is locked in.

Well, remember how the two guys got past the gates?There was a narrow area that the gates didn’t’ close off, and my husband, feeling very wet, and a little crazy- and believe me, this is not normally him - decides to see if he can squeeze the car through there.
Between the posts.
Through the hole.

And, he does.