It wasn't the first time they've been on their own like this. And unfortunately it wasn't the first time recently we had car trouble.
But there we were. My wife Amy and I had dropped our daughters off downtown, soon to be 13 and 15 years old. They were going to go shopping and get something to eat (a late lunch or early dinner -- we were all not sure whether to call it linner or dunch -- I preferred dunch), and then take the bus back home. Our oldest Beatrice had already done the bus experiment and it worked out well. Both her and her sister Bryce were doing it for the first time together now. Of course we reviewed our Kidpower safety plans with them -- make sure to get on the right bus, move away from any danger if needed, get adult help if needed -- so we felt confident they'd be fine.
We were driving to San Francisco to pick up a new used car and then come right back home again. The whole time Amy texted back and forth with our kids. Everything went great for all of us. That is, until I heard what sounded like something dragging and then air whooshing out of a tire. That's not what it was, although we did find a screw in the right front tire. The tire wasn't going flat, but we knew we had to get it fixed before going all the way to San Francisco and back. We still hadn't pinpointed the dragging sound. Shit, not again. f
This was the point where Beatrice became stressed thinking her and Bryce wouldn't have enough money for the meal they ordered. They have their own accounts and Bea has an ATM card now and Amy even gave them a little extra money for the afternoon. Bea texted back and forth with Amy about paying for the meal while we got off the highway to find a tire place.
Soon after that, a man in a delivery van drove up next to us, honked, and pointed at the front of our car. I thought the tire was definitely going flat now. We pulled into a church parking lot and stopped, but the tire was still fully inflated. The man in the van doubled back and pulled into the lot with us. He showed us that the front protective panel under the car had broken loose and was dragging on the ground. I can't believe we didn't see that at first. He was kind enough to tape it up temporarily so it wouldn't drag anymore.
Poor Beatrice was still stressed about the money for the meal, texting back and forth with Amy, and continually asking the restaurant staff about how much everything costs. Amy assured her we would help out if they ran into any issues. Bea texted a picture of her meal, though, and it certainly looked yummy. All Bryce cared about was eating it.
By then we'd already stopped at one tire place that couldn't help us, and then found another one that could. A small independent gas station mechanic who gave us amazing customer service. They even gave us two chairs to sit on in the garage bay and two cold waters to drink while we waited. They fixed the tire and the panel under the car and we were on our way again in less than 30 minutes.
At this point the girls were wrapping up their meal and Amy helped Beatrice figure out the tip. They had more than enough money and Bea was thankful. Bryce was just thankful again for a yummy meal. Plus, the restaurant staff were very polite and helpful. The girls then did a little more shopping and took the bus home, which let out right across the street from where we live.
Later on when we were all home together again, I was thankful that our kids are learning to be safely independent by hanging out downtown and riding the bus home. And that we as the adults and parents can manage stress of when things go wrong (with our car, for example, yet again), because they will. But going wrong doesn't mean it can't be made right. That's the thing when you're on your own, you don't always have to do it all by yourself; parents, friends, family, and even strangers can help. Good people always willing to lend a hand.
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