The Friday 13th I will Never Forget

It all started late Friday afternoon. We had to wait until our oldest autistic son returned home, and he did not get home to after 5 p.m.

My husband and I already had packed my van. So we could leave right away once our autistic son returned home, and I could set up for the Habitat for Humanities Boutique.

I was a vendor there, and vendors could set up from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. that evening. I always had done this in the past since I live quite a ways from the church, and this allowed me time to not have to get up so early on Saturday morning to make the 9 a.m. beginning of the event.

I drove the van and traveled to the church next door, and that’s when I heard the clunk, clunk of the tire. I drove the van back home into the garage. My husband and I unloaded my materials then loaded them into my husband’s car.

My husband had lost his own set of car keys to his car, so he thought he may have left them at a local diner. On our way to the church, I drove his car there since the diner staff told my husband they had of set of keys, and my husband hoped they were his. While there we looked up the insurance information, so we could call the company and get the recommended tow service the insurance company would authorize.

I dialed the number on my cell phone and explained we needed to have my car towed to a certain service station the next day. (I was in hope I could pick up my van the next day.)

The insurance company staff could not find the service station I wanted to use for the tire’s repair. During this time, my husband left the vehicle to check to see if his car keys were those the diner found. He returned and they were not his.

During all the commotion, the car moved forward. I tried to back up the car, but it would not move. Paul thought I did not know what I was doing, and he took over with the same results.

I got out of the car and then looked and saw the front of his car was stuck on the parking barrier. Thank God the car next to us saw our plight.

The older man from the car next to us yelled, “Is your car stuck?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“My grandson thinks he can pull you out.”

“Thanks.”

The grandson got out of the car and lifted our car up and freed it from its entanglement.

The call with the insurance agent was lost. Thankfully she returned the call.

She still could not find the filing station I wished to have my van towed. Since we only were about five blocks from there, I asked if the insurance woman could hold on while we drove there. She agreed. We pulled in and I gave her the full name of the service station. She found it and set up a morning time in which the tow company would arrive Saturday.

I took over the driving of the car and drove us to the church. We arrived around 6:45 p.m., just 15 minutes before the time to end set up stopped.

The volunteers assisted us bringing in the items. With all that went on, they allowed me to set up until I finished. This was the first time a Friday the 13th really became Friday the 13th.

On Saturday, I found out that the tire was blown out, thus I needed to call the station so they could order a new one by noon. However, I never heard the call since I was working the craft show. I saw it at 12:30 p.m. I called my husband who made the call.

Now I would not get my van back until Monday. My husband had been working on our income tax, and it was stressing him out. Thank God he turned those in today, Monday, the 16th, and later today I had my own car back.

Although all was horrible Friday night, I am grateful for many things: (1)I had driven my van earlier in the day to a location far from my home and back. What if I had trouble with that tire on that trip? (2)it was good that the car beside us was there, and the grandson was able to lift our car off that parking barrier, or I do not what we would have done, especially when we were down to one car and our autistic son sat in the back of the car. (3)I want to thank the church volunteers who waited for me to set up. That was so kind of them to give up some of their time for us. (4)I found Paul’s keys in the pair of pants he wore on Thursday.

So good things can  happen in the midst of your trials, remember that as you experience days like the one we experienced on Friday the 13th. And, of course, I end with a God bless.