It is a wonderful world

A wonderful friend lent me her car so that I could take the very long drive to ikea (260 km). I was so pleased to finally get to finish the last stuff for my kitchen. However, on the way back, the car decided to take an afternoon nap.

It gave no indications to what might be wrong, it looked like it was leaking gas, which it wasn’t, then lamps came on that couldn’t be on and then it just slowly powered down and went to bed.

Thanks to a downhill, I managed to exit the highway in about 3 km/h speed. What now?! I call my brother, but he cant help, and being nearly 200 km away doesn’t help. I call a friend, he’s in a meeting. I call my mom in despair, not much she can do. I call the friend married to the guy in the meeting, tell her what’s up. Not much she can do either, but she get’s back to her husband. Meanwhile, I stop a car, they tell me what I already suspect, I’m in the middle of nowhere (however a very beautiful nowhere).

We are all missing jumpstart cables, and that probably wouldn’t have helped anyway we say. While I’m talking to this nice family who also helps me find numbers for a gas station and a towing company, my brother calls back: A friend of his, knows a guy living 80 km away from where I am stuck, and that guy is coming to the rescue.

I say thank you to the family who’s helped me with numbers and confirmation that the battery and car is indeed deceased. I settle in to my silent ride, finish the tea I had bought when leaving Ikea, tell people I’ve talked to that help is on the way but also that my telephone battery is running low (wouldn’t have been exiting enough if it didn’t right?). So I hum, try to nap as well, wonder about the worlds mysteries and enjoy the view. I also talk to a pleasant girl who stops and ask wether I am in need of assistance. She’s the 5th and last car to pass me on my time beside the road, but the only one who stopped on her own to make sure I was alright, bless her heart.

Before I know it, the hero appears. The problem, he suspects, was simply overheating (even though the car never gave that particular indication), the battery is soon rebooted and more water to the cooler means I’m off. We stop another couple of times to make sure everything is running smooth, which it does, all the way back home.

This, to me complete stranger, dropped everything, went on a rescue mission and saved my day, um, I mean evening and night! There aren’t enough thanks for that! Not to mention the friend who lent me the car in the first place (whom I must add takes REALLY good care of her car), my brother and his friend for using their network and all the others ready to set out and fetch me. This is indeed a wonderful world.