I left work early with a headache. At home I was busy thinking dinner while Teri continued to work when Elena calls me. She starts out a little hesitantly, dancing around a little bit before she gets to the fact she has a flat tire. She says she was driving, saw a rock in the road, swerved to avoid it and still hit it. I ask her where is she and she says over near Snake Hill road, you know like when I'm going to work. I have a vague idea where she is. The first thing I do is get the floor jake out of the garage. Last time I used it I jacked up Elena's car and got it out of the mud on the north side of the house. It was not fun and I never clean it off so when I put it into my car besides not fitting I get mud all over the back seat, oh I also tear the seat with a sharp corner of the jack.
Nastia and Elena had gone to pick up Nastia's car from Alexander Brothers at the corner of West Nyack road and Strawtown Road near the West Nyack Inn, now the 1840 Tavern. Her car having gone in for a battery light on the dash which turned out to be an alternator and relieving the pressure in the air conditioning system to stop the fans from going all the time cost her $686.00.
I find them together sort of off to the side of the road, Elena trying to jack the car up. I take the floor jack out, it hits the pavement leaving a small cloud of red dust and a few chunks of clay. It rolls noisily down the road. I tell Elena to stop fiddling with the car jack as I slide the floor jack under the front of the car and begin to pump. I'm expecting to have to change the tire myself, but Elena wants to do it. Thank God, I think, my head still is pounding. I advise her on the best way to remove a tire,going cross wise to remove the nuts, she sort of follows my advise. The tire comes off and on the other side of the rim is a large dent. Whatever she hit didn't go down without a fight. I hope Alexander Brothers can pound it back and save the rim. Elena sees the rim and begins to kick it, oh seeing myself as a twenty year brings a slight smile to my face. I would of done the same thing. I let her finish. She then seems happy or maybe it's just a front. She then tells me about after she got the flat how she got out of the car and began kicking her car. I ask her if it made her feel better, She says yes, I then ask if she damaged her car. She say no.
Of course this flat tire adventure won't go down without a last fight. I tell Elena how to bring the jack down gently and when she does the jack gets caught under the car. The spare isn't high enough. As car continue to pass us in either direction I look for a flat rock. Elena jacks the car back up and I stick it under the tire. We bring the jack back down, slide the jack away. Before Elena slides the jack away she says it would be cool to have a jack like this in the car. I tell her it isn't practical. She then moves it and realizes how heavy it is. I put the jack in Nastia's car with the tire. Elena drives backwards off the rock and I toss it to the side of the road. Elena leaves first, then Nastia. I follow the two of them.
I get into the car. I rarely use the air, but with my headache and the humidity, I think it's time, I click it on and go to switch the vents so the air will blow in my face when the knob comes off in my hand. It was just one of those days.
The next morning we bring the car to Alexander Brothers. I tell him what is going on with it. A day later it turns out that she needs a new rim, an alignment and a new tire because it had a bubble in it. Her rock in the road cost her about $368.00, an expensive rock.
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