I have an anxiety about car problems. I fear my tire blowing out or the car breaking down leaving me stranded and alone on the side of the road, completely vulnerable to anyone who is driving down the road looking for a poor innocent girl to murder. I think about what I could do if this was to happen too. I have some escape plans in my head. I think about these things daily when I make the 30 minute drive to work everyday. All the way just hoping that I will make it!!! I have a problem, I know.
Well, today was almost the day that all my worst fears became a reality. Right as I was turning onto the highway that takes me out of Lawrence I heard a loud sputtering or rumbling sound. I turned down the music to listen and could hear it toward the back of the car. My first reaction is always to make up excuses....I thought it was the car behind me and then I thought maybe it was a helicopter flying overhead. Unfortunately, the sound followed me. So either I was being chased by a helicopter (which I might rather have happen) or there was something wrong with my car. I could tell it was coming from the back so I thought it was the tire. It couldn't be because the car was steering fine and it wasn't shaking at all. Since the car was moving fine and didn't smell funny I did what I do best and ignored it. I turned the music up and pretended like nothing was wrong. That always makes it go away.
I got to work on time and heard it again when I got into the parking lot. I pulled into a spot and got out of the car. I couldn't hear it. I stuck my head in the car and I could hear it. I turned the car off and the noise didn't stop. I was baffled. Now my thought was, "Perhaps I should move because I think it is going to blow up!" Out of the car I couldn't hear it at all. In the car I could. I opened the trunk and it was louder. I noticed that my little Rubbermaid box of instruments was moving! I was still baffled. (Not real quick on the up-take this morning.) I thought that whatever was making the noise in my car was making my box vibrate. I opened it up and found my car problem. It was the vibrating pen that I use as a drum mallet with some of my autistic kids in music therapy. It was just bouncing around the box. I felt kinda dumb, but mostly I was just extremely relieved. I am not getting murdered on K-10 today! Well, I do still have to drive home...
1 year ago
