You want ethel?
2002-10-25

Wow, Friday is finally here. I thought this week would never end. I have that job interview tonight and I am wearing a new white shirt, crisply ironed and a new pair of dockers. I also have a tie in the truck that I will put on no sooner than is necessary. Why couldn't I have been an astronaut? I bet they never have to wear ties...

M.E. went shopping for my outfit last night as well as for the one she is wearing for her checkout of the place she is considering today. We plan to go to dinner when she returns. Quite a bit of time passes... and the phone rings. A couple of ditzy girls haave our street blocked. Their car will not start and it is right in the middle of the road. There is only one way in or out on our street. Not good.

M.E. has called AAA, but it will take a while. So I grab my coat and head out in the truck to see what I can do to help. I get all the way to the end and sure enough a white car is parked at a 45 degree angle blocking the road. There is a wall on one side and a ditch on the other. They have all the remaining space consumed.

There are two girls inside and they look to be about 16, so they could have been any where from 12 to 20. My judgement on young isn't what it use to be. They are terrified.

The driver tries to explain the problem (Either out of gas or a dead battery) and says she is sorry a thousand times. We try to push her back to open a lane but she can't move the wheels and we are headed directly into the wall. Not good.... I ask her to try and start the car so I can hear what the problem might be. It starts, for a second, but it is enough to move the wheels some. Scared little bunny #2 and I push the car back until the bumper hits the wall. There are now 4 cars waiting to get by and the I'm sorry's are now in the millions.

We have created just enough room to get by as long as you aren't driving anything bigger than a Toyota. Fortunately nobody is. I'm sort of directing traffic and almost get run over by an idiot in a truck who doesn't see me waving my arms or the white car with lights and flashers on balocking the road. He hits the brakes just in time. Good for all of us.

Apparently the girls are local but not from our road. They say they were just turning around and from the angle of the car I believed them. M.E. gave them the third degree before I got there. She doesn't put up with any crap.

People have been known to party down by the highway at the end of our dead end street, and at first I thought they were toasted, but on reflection, maybe it was just being afraid. Two young girls on a dark street and a dead car. They didn't ask for twinkies and I didn't smell anything funky so their story looked plausible. M.E. and I waited with them for AAA.

The old dude in the tow truck was funny. He busted these girls chops pretty badly. They did not see the humor. The problem turned out to be sans d'essence.. Lack of gas. He poured some in, they started up thanked us and drove off. We went home and ate there.

On a more serious note, I heard the stump brought in for questioning has been released on personal recognicence. Apparently it is not considered a flight risk despite having relatives in all 50 states. It was last seen lumbering off to the south. Oh well...

Happy Friday!

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