dispatches from quilt city

Me and Cars, Part II

Last weekend, I visited one of my best friends Elizabeth Ferrell and her new little baby, David (better known as Punkin'). Aimee Hicks (another close friend) and I set out on the long seven hour trip to Louisville, KY at about 4:30pm on Thursday afternoon. Aimee was concerned that her engine was running a little hot so we decided to stop in Auto Protocall for quick check-up. Unfortunately, we got there at 4:50 and they close at 5pm. However, the man at the front generously agreed to come look at our car in the parking lot. He established that we had plenty of coolant and that nothing on the service seemed terribly wrong. He also informed us that as long as the temperature gage on the dash didn't pass into the red we were fine. Now, I'm pretty hard on cars (perhaps why I've already been thro two) but Aimee leans more toward safety or paranoia which ever you prefer. She wasn't comfortable just turning on the defrost and therefore cooling the engine so we decided to try Walmart. (I know I know but it's not my car)

Upon pulling up we quickly established that this was only a Tire and Lube Express. However, I decided it wouldn't hurt to ask for some help. I did decide it would hurt to ask the purse-lipped lady inside at the desk so I yelled at one of the mechanics in the garage. He informed me they couldn't do the work at Walmart but he would be glad to take a look. So Duke (our new best friend) came outside and quickly established that Aimee's thermostat is broken. He then informs us that he can call his cousin who could come over and fix it in about 15 minutes if we could get the part. Meanwhile time is ticking away and we decide to ask our respective fiance/husband if we can borrow their cars and both our respective fiance/husbands say no. Well Aimee gives up but I kick and cry till NIcholas relents which is about the same time Duke says his cousin is on the way and Johan (Aimee's fiance) volunteers to rent us a car. We decide to have Nicholas go get the new thermostat (which the people at Autozone say they have but then change their mind but then find it again).

By now it's about 7:00pm and Duke's cousin has still not shown up. Everyone is getting anxious including Nicholas who has shown up with the new thermostat. Finally, Derrick the infamous cousin shows up and goes to work on Aimee's car - in the middle of the Walmart parking lot. He works and works and works. Finally about an hour later he's finished and he says wants to take it for a test drive to make sure everything is working. After instructing us to remove our pocketbooks(his word not mine), he takes a couple of laps around the parking lot and established the fans still aren't kicking on. Seeing our desperate faces, he explains he can cut some wires and hook the fans directly to the battery or we can trust that the high speed wind will keep the engine cool. We chose option two. We thank Derrick and ask how much we should pay him. He instructs Aimee to pay him "whatever you think is fair" We give Derrick as much money as we can afford and the promise of our firstborns. Around 9:00 we set out, Derrick's girlfriends phone number in tow "in case we run into any trouble."

We arrive in Lexington at 3:45am and spend the night there. We go to Louisville and spend a lovely weekend with our friends and the baby, who are just glad we're there. Although my friend Erin asked in amazement, "Where do you find these people?!?"