Broke down on I-16

Right before we passed the petting zoo gas station off Interstate 16 between Macon and Savanah, we heard our Subaru run over something substantial but the car was running find so we knew we hadn’t blown a tire. I pulled over at the next exit. I walked around the car with expert knowledge of all things car. The car looked intact. I got bak in to the Subaru and continued driving. We had left Atlanta to go for a pre- Thanksgiving visit with my mom in Hilton Head. After a couple of miles of sighing relief, all dash board lights start blinking like a bomb on the A-Team. And the anti-lock brakes started going in and out. Steering was limited. We made it to the next exit and drove right in to Grady’s Truck Stop.

Where the jumper cables should have been, I found a ziploc of candy.

After an amazingly kind woman and her three boys drove to their house and retrieved their jumper cables, we realized with the help of the owner of the truck stop that some belts were missing. Mim shook her head No when I told her to give the boys some candy. I gave them fistfuls. Serendipitously, the family helping us had an adopted boy with Down Syndrome who was black. He loved Frida. I loved him.

Does this look right? So when I thought I ran over something, that was when the belts broke and ran over the belts.

I’m no mechanic but it looks like some stuff is missing.

The owner of Grady’s Truck stop was not thrilled tat we stopped right in between his pumps. He told me to move the car. I couldn’t and he couldn’t because the car would not come out of park. Dolly youtubed it and figured out how to get the Subaru in neutral. Youtube. I pushed the wagon and Dolly steered.

People came and went as we waited for Randy’s tow truck.

Looking for the beauty in this situation.

Mim is worried that Randy is absconding with our vehicle.

Got more candy. These Twizzlers were old. Grady’s Truck Stop has disappointing candy choices.

We are alive and well. And we have wifi.

Mum is on her way from Hilton Head Island to rescue her stranded grandchildren. George and Dolly were, of course, angelic supports. Mim needs more candy and a charger.

We wake up in the Lowcountry and George and Dolly are decorating Mum’s porch.

So we broke down Saturday and today is Tuesday, the day we planned to go home. Randy is working on the Subaru as we speak or so he says. He is attempting to bypass the air conditioner compressor and replace the belts. he said we won’t need AC and this can get us home. “Call back in a while.” Randy told me for the sixth time this week.