When I left the milk business, I never missed this

Yeah, it is one of those stories again.Memories intermingled with something that happened recently. I've been doing alot of remembering these day coming up to my 63rd birthday, but I'll ramble on about that some other day. I got another one of those phone calls last night. You know the ones. especially if you have read about my daughter's and their driving records. Nastia comes home yesterday, Sunday night about six, I guess, from work. She changes and proceeds to leave to go to her boyfriend's house to 'hang out'. I'm upstairs, in Elena's room, yes, working on it. I've finished sheet rocking the closet and more about that some other time. I look out the window and I see her start her car to pull out of the north driveway. I call her and ask her what is going on, where is she going. She tells me she is going to her boyfriend, Brandon's house. Teri and I don't want her driving at night for the time being. She reminds me he lives in Valley Cottage, so I say ok, be safe. About twenty minutes later, loong after she should have gotten to Branden's house I see her name on my phone. At first I think nothing of it. She is at Brandon's, what could be wrong? She forgot something? I get a breezy, friendly hello from her when she starts to fumble for words. I'm thinking, what could be wrong? "Well dad I went to McDonald's to get Brandon some food, I'm alright, I didn't get into an accident." I'm on the

causeway, near the blinking light and the car is driving weird, I think I have a flat tire." I know where she is and I get my coat on and check my pockets for my car keys. I'm out the door and the cold air hits my face. It's not cold like it used to be, but I'm not the guy I used to be either when I'd changed tires on milk trucks when they went flat, or it snowed. (for all of you future people before all weather tires you used to have snow tires and in the extreme I used to put chains on the rear tires, I think chains are outlawed now.) The plan is to drive the car home. I'll give Nastia my keys and she'll go first, I'll follow. I go left out of Harrison Avenue onto Conger's Road, through the light and down a dip to the crest of the hill. On the other side I see her car pretty much where I thought it would be. I pull into a street turn around and park the car. When I look at the tire I can see it has been driven for a while flat. I'mnot happy to begin with being there so I start to loose it a little with Nastia. I stop myself because it is not helping the sitution. I tell her to take my car and I'll take her's. That part of the road is no place to change a tire. And I thought I was close enough to home that I didn't have to try to change it on a side road. I call her phone and when traffic is clear I tell her to go. Once she is on her way I start moving. The tire thuds against the wheel well in a pathetic drum beat anouncing to the world some idoit is driving on a flat tire instead of changing it. I pick up the pace a little to make the light. I pause once to let a car pass near the former Conger's Elementry school. I pull the car into the new northern driveway that is already starting to show where I was a little thin with the rock and mud has begun to seep through. A project for another day. At first I am not going to deal with it tonight. I change my mind because tomorrow I'll be clean and not want to deal with it and it is going to snow Tuesday night and I want this fixed by then. I move the car over to the garage. I have everything I need somewhere near the garage and after fumbling around looking for things that haven't been used in a while I get the car jacke up, the tire off and the donut spare tire out and I'm about to put it on when I realize someone has used it and hit a curb or something with it and it is totally useless and I'm done for the night. The tire goes into the trunk of my car. The next day I take it to Alexander Brother's and jokingly tell them to patch it. Then the good news comes next, oh and it isn't the last good news.The first good news is the trie has to be ordered and it won't be ready until Tuesday. The second good news comes later in the day when I get a call telling me the rims is bent and yes it can be strightened, but it will take until Wednesday. Now I'd really wanted to avoid putting the tire on the Mazda until Wednesday. Firstly Nastia has no car for two days, secondly, it is going to snow Tuesday night, then get cold. With no choice I tell them yes. Wednesday afternoon I get the call the tire is ready. Total cost is $417.00. Nastia who can be as cheap as she is generous is a little outraged. " How come so much!!, for just a tire?!" "Why so much is taxes?!!" I missed a golden opportunity with the last statement to remind her that is the reason to vote. You vote for th epeople who decide how much you pay in taxes and what it is used for.Maybe she'll read this one day instead. Nastia and Brandon pick up the tire and Nastia texts me where do I want the tire? I was going to say on teh car, but I was afraid that wouldn't find that funny. Not knowing Brandon, I don't want to impose upon him to put Nastia's tire on her car. He might not be a get dirty, do physical work type of guy. I get home from bowling about 7:30 and I put the pizza, Elena wanted in the warming oven and go out to put the tire on the car. It takes maybe fifteen minutes and goes smoothly. At this point I had most of the required tools assemblied to do the job anyway. The next morning, (January 28, 2021, today ) I take it the car out for a quick test run hoping nothing is damaged from the drive home on Sunday. God smiles on me today and nothing as of now is wrong with the car. Nastia took it to work a little while ago, and wait, I have to stop typing, Nastia is calling me.........(Daaadddd.....) /