I left the Black Hart to go to St. Thomas when I saw, of all the goddamn things, the scary battery light come on on the dash of my parents' minivan. I was hoping that this isn't my worst fears coming true. But as I was driving, the radio died, then the air conditioning. My God.
And the damndest thing of all this was that I was still somehow able to drive. I didn't know how long I had, and that scared the shit out of me. But it helped that I wasn't too far away from campus. Moreover, I was able to accelerate and brake, even though I was trying to be slow just in case I completely lost power. But I was able to drive a couple miles. Got to where I wanted to go, in fact, where I would have parked if, you know, I was going to the Game instead of needing to figure out what the fuck is going on. I turned into a side street where there was plenty of street parking and turned off the minivan. Just to be sure, I tried turning it back on, and it was like about a month ago, where the old battery died. (Hey, have I blog posted about me changing the battery on the minivan? I don't think so!)
Well of course my plans get fucked. Thank God I'm with AAA, and thank God for the tow truck driver. Yeah, this guy seemed kind of weird, but in my experience all tow truck drivers are weird. So what? They are there for you in your most acute times of need. Well, I had to wait three hours, and that was fucking excruciating, but I was safe. And even though I didn't get that before-game-watching nap I needed before seeing my alma mater shit the bed (again), I did get home safely after the van was towed to my preferred car shop.
And yet I am still nervous. I trust the guys I've been to the past two times, but it's been only two times, and it was for my car. Also, the van is just on the parking lot, and the shop is just 15 minutes away but closer to downtown Minneapolis. After the game last/Saturday night and after work this/Sunday afternoon, I actually drove by the shop, which is closed on the weekends, to make sure the van is still there and hasn't been vandalized or anything. It seems to be totally fine as I drove past it, but anything can happen on a Sunday night.
I am thinking that because I tied the battery down with just a wrench, it's the cables that just got a little loose. The tow truck driver jump-started the battery; the minivan turned on just fine, and the alternator was reading as perfect. I'm not too proud that I couldn't screw those cables in tight. But I'm really scared that the mechanics are going to say that it's the alternator, or it's the starter, or some other lie. I love getting my cars fixed because of the feeling I get of being restored, but there's always a fear in the back of my mind that I'm getting screwed over, too.
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