June 1, 2005
10:00 pm - Kate decides to head to bed a little early since her lovely daughters are all sleeping contentedly in their respective beds..
June 2, 2005
1:40 am - Kate hears Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out playing VERY loudly by her head. This can only mean one of two things. The first (and less likely) is that Franz Ferdinand decided to come and give her a private concert... in her bedroom.. in the middle of the night (hence the unlikeliness). The other (and more logical) explanation is that my cell phone is ringing and it is my sister as her ringer is Take Me Out.
1:45 am - Kate grabs the phone and punches several buttons (never opening her eyes and risking being blinded by her bright cell phone light) before finding the right one.
Kate: ughn
Ruthie: Hey! Wake up.
Kate: ughn?
Ruthie: The car is dead.
Kate sits straight up in bed. Why? Because the last time Ruthie called her at an ungodly hour and said those words she had to say a final farewell to her Mazda through eyes full of tears as it was taken off to car heaven.
Kate: Define 'dead'.
Ruthie: I dunno. I came to Chili's with [friend] to eat and when we came out and tried to start the car it made this clicking sound. So, I went inside to get someone to jump us. I told them I had jumper cables (yeah, I have jumper cables BECAUSE Ruthie is consistently leaving the car on in some way and therefore causing me to jump it a few times a year and replace the battery more regularly than normal people). So, these guys came outside to help us (have I mentioned before that my sister has a huge rack?) and told me to try and turn it on, when I did it made the click-click-click noise again and they all said it was the starter and that trying to jump it wouldn't do anything. Then I called you. What should I do?
-insert thirty seconds of dead silence here as Kate searches her memory banks for the word 'starter'-
Ruthie: Kate? I'm serious, I don't know what to do.
Kate: I'll call you back.
Ruthie: What? Kate, I can't stand here all night!
Kate: I'll call you back.
Kate hangs up and tries to force ideas to form in her still very asleep and very tired brain. This does not go well.
2:00 am - Kate calls Mr. I.
One ring, two rings, three rings
Mr. I: ughn
Kate: I know, I am sorry. I need your help.
Mr. I: ughn?
Kate: My car is 'dead'. The guys there said it is the starter. Is that bad? (shut up, I am a girl. Sue me.)
Mr. I: No. It's like a hundred bucks. Where is your car?
Kate: Chili's.
Mr. I: By the dealership?
(there is a Chili's by the dealership where we work, like three miles. Having the car at this Chili's would have been very good instead of...)
Kate: No, like in [a town thirty minutes away from the dealership].
Mr. I: Oh no.
Kate: Yeah, I guess I should have it towed. Do you think that the part is stocked or will I need to order it?
Mr. I: No, Napa will have it or I can get it for you in San Antonio tomorrow.
Kate: Ok, thank you. I am sorry I woke you up. I am going to get it towed.
Mr. I: Ok, bye.
2:30 am Kate is sitting at her desk looking up tow places in San Antonio. There are 102. Kate decides to go against her grain and just pick the first one rather than price compare.
2:40 am Kimberly: Hi, this is Kimberly with [whatever the hell the company's name was] Towing. What can I do for you?
Kate: Hi, yeah, I need my car towed. (How many times a day do you think she hears that brilliant phrase?)
Kimberly: Sure, no problem. Why do you need it towed?
Kate (confused): Ummm, because it won't start' You see there is a clicking noise and the guys at Chili's said it was my starter... but I wasn't there, so I don't know. Do you know?
Kimberly: So, there wasn't an accident or anything? It just won't start?
Kate: um, yeah. There wasn't an accident.
Kimberly: Great! Where do you need it towed?
Kate: [my place of employment]. How much will that be?
Kimberly: Hang on a sec and let me see.
Elevator music... not good for keeping Kate awake.
Kimberly: Are you there?
Kate (yawning): yup
Kimberly: ok, should be about 125.00.
Kate: Ok, my sister is there and she has my credit card. Thank you.
2:50 am Ruthie: hello?
Kate: ok, they are coming. They are taking it to my job. You need to give them my credit card info when they get there ok?
Ruthie: ok. I am so sorry!
Kate: If it's the starter then it isn't your fault. Just make sure you get my things out of the car before you leave.
Ruthie: ok. So you will need me there to watch the girls tomorrow right?
Kate: yes. See you later.
Ruthie: ok, bye.
3:00 am Kate calls her voicemail on her cell phone and send both of her boss' phones a voicemail explaining dilemma.
3:15 am Kate calls Jiffinner, Jiffinner doesn't answer.
3:20 am Kate calls NewGirl. NewGirl does answer and is all chipper and awake. This freaks Kate out as she can't understand why anyone in their right mind would be awake at 3am. Kate explains to NewGirl about car and asks her to be at work at 8am. NewGirl says that is fine.
3:30 am Kate lays down to go to sleep.
3:40 am Cell phone rings. It is Kimberly. She wants to know if Kate wants the car locked into the secure area at her job. Kate doesn't care, but says that is fine.
3:45 am Kate lays down to go to sleep.
3:55 am Cell phone rings. It is Ruthie. She says she isn't going to be home until tomorrow and can Kate take the girls to daycare. Kate again tries to fire up her brain unsuccessfully. Having no idea whether this is a plausible idea, she says 'fine' and then hangs up.
4:05 am Kate lays down to go to sleep.
4:15 am Kimberly calls to tell Kate that Ruthie said to just park the car in the parking lot. Kimberly asks which it is; the secure area or the parking lot. Kate says secure area and tells Kimberly to have a nice night.
4:25 am Kate lays down to go to sleep.
4:35 am Kate gets text message from NewGirl asking for a wake up call at 6:45.
4:40 am Kate responds to text message from NewGirl
4:45 am Kate lays down to go to sleep.
5:00 am Cell phone rings. It is Kimberly. She says that they can't get into secure area. Kate says she doesn't give a flying fuck (in a very nice way) and to just park the goddamned car anywhere.
5:10 am Kate lays down to go to sleep.
6:00 am Kate's alarm clock goes off. Kate is confused. She dreamed that she had the day off. Could that be true? She dreamed also that someone gave her a new car. Could that be true? Disoriented, Kate hits snooze.
6:10 am Kate's alarm clock goes off. Kate grabs cell phone and calls Fairy to beg use of her car for the day. No answer.
6:20 am Kate tries Fairy again but her mother answers. Her mother is pissed. Kate apologizes profusely for waking her and asks for Fairy. Fairy says that Kate can use her car and she will be there at 7:15.
And there you have it, a typical Thursday morning.
For those of you chewing your nails and wondering what the outcome of this was, I will tell you. It was not my starter, but rather my alternator. Alternators seem to be the bane of my existence as this is the third time in two cars that I have had to replace them. So, nearly three hundred dollars later (for towing and parts and labor), my car started fine... of course, it overheated on the way home and I had to put coolant in it. Hopefully that was all that was wrong!
~Kate
Labels: Being a Chic
