Another day, another flat tire

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

The appointment to get two new tires put on the little car was at 4:00. Tom and Louise volunteered to pick us up at Sam’s Club auto place and drive us to Tono so they could try it out (we have raved, after all) and we could enjoy dinner together. We learned last week that the “easy” way home through the neighborhoods involved a closed road, so we took an alternative route through a different neighborhood.

Road closed.

Darn.

I got the map out and found a way through a condo section that would come out past the road closed part. We drove through the wiggly neighborhood to find that that road was closed too.

Darn.

We got on a fast road but luckily got to turn right onto the it and get most of our way to the next turn before the fast cars light turned green. We dropped the car off and went to Tono’s. What a lovely meal with lovely friends and lovely pizza. They returned us to pick up the car and we were off to home to switch cars and go to the theater.

About a mile from home there was a weird sound. We both heard it and thought TIRE! but there was no change to the feel of driving. I could hear something. I rolled my window down and said to pull over. I hopped out and took the POTD. That was definitely a flat tire. Keith tried to call Sam’s right away. I don’t know why, but it really what I wanted him to do. They weren’t going to come to rescue us, or fix it from a distance, but I really wanted them to say, “Darn! Sorry!”

Keith talked to whomever answers the phone when you call Sam’s and could not get her to understand that he wanted to talk to the auto place at the Woodbury Sam’s. She could have been anywhere in the world, I guess, but she was not able to help. He started to change the tire when a police officer stopped. I asked him if he had just had dinner at Tono, because several officers were eating there when we left. He said no, but some others were there. I said I saw them. He and Keith commiserated on the fact that it was going to be impossible to get the jack to work with the way the car was stopped. Rather than drive further on the rim, they decided a floor jack would be better, so the policeman went back to the station to get one.

We were only a mile from home, and I really had to go to the bathroom. I abandoned Keith and started walking. Of course, my heart started doing its thumping and just wanted to just sit down and…I don’t know what…but I sure wanted to sit down. I called my sister for encouragement and distraction. She was there for me. She told me things and said I was doing great. About halfway there, things settled down and I could walk much more easily. I made it to the bathroom. (I wonder if I would be telling this story if I hadn’t made it) (yes).

Keith came in the door about 25 minutes later, sweaty and sort of discombobulated. He took off his shoes and went for a drink. I said, “Do you remember we are hurrying?”
“Oh. I thought we were too late.”
“I think we can make it. Or we can be those people who come late and other people think ‘why are you coming so late?'”
“I have to put on a clean shirt.”
“That seems fine.”

When we left Tono, we talked about what police officers do in Woodbury, because it seems like a fairly quiet place (compared to the big towns near us). Apparently, they stop for flat tire people. A second officer stopped, and Keith said a guy was already helping, so he went on. A third officer stopped to tell Keith the other guy hadn’t found a floor jack. Keith proceeded to inch the car forward until he could use the jack. Officer 3 said he was glad Keith knew how to change a tire, because he didn’t. Keith showed him the ways, then got on his way. He came in the door at 6:47 and we were sitting in our seats at the Ordway by 7:19. Yay! (He dropped me at the door, parked, and hurried back).

We saw the Bob-Dylan-inspired version of Mean Girls. We couldn’t understand a LOT of what was sung. Neither of us understood one of the comic relief characters at all, which was sad because we like funny. The first act was good. I was glad we had tried and made it! The second half went on and on and on. And on. It finally ended and we went to the parking ramp. The door was locked. I got giggly that our car was locked in a parking ramp. It probably had a flat tire, too. A bit of investigation got us a code to get in and we were headed for home.