The red warning light came on in Kate’s car as she drove home from work. We’ve been taught not to ignore such a dire warning, so the next day she drove to the dealer in the next town. From there, she called the store to let them know she was taking the day off. She doesn’t have family or friends who could have picked her up.
Oh! My! They went into a tizzy! Kate is in charge of shopping the orders that are sent through the internet. There was one worker who could do the shopping and would be there until 1:00, but after that they had no one. The assistant store manager picked her up, and someone should get her back to her car before the shop closes.
The diagnosis for the car was a clogged gas filter and a heat shield that needed to be replaced. Presumably it will be finished today.
Meanwhile, I was alarmed that my car brakes squealed the last time I drove it. I called the service station at the bottom of the hill. The woman said the repairman had just come back, so I should bring the car down for him to look at it. She said to ask for Thomas (not his real name). I parked in front of the service bay and stood there a minute, trying to figure out who to ask. A young man changing a tire said he had gone around the corner. I stood there for several minutes, wondering if Thomas had gone “around the bend”, not the corner. A young woman that I had mistakenly pegged as a stranded motorist, asked was I looking for Thomas. She came back and said he would be with me when he finished something, about five minutes.
Thomas came rushing around the corner and said he’d take the car for a spin, because he could probably tell what was wrong with it by the sounds. He backed up, and the car did its squeal. He pulled forward next to a gas pump, where it protested again. He jumped out, looked at the rear tire, and told me the pads needed to be replaced. I had a choice of going to buy the pads myself at an auto parts store or waiting until next week. He expected that, looked at a calendar, and announced I should bring it in on Tuesday at 9:00 am. Yes, sir! I’ll be there!
