Oh, how I wished that was the case. HOW I WISH.
The first half went as planned: I got up at six am and was out on the road by seven, chasing the sunrise all the way to Austin where I managed to get to St. Edward's University with thirty minutes to spare. It was a cold morning, a front blew in and gave the otherwise lovely morning a deep and unusual chill. The class, which was about how to research for your fiction works, went on swimmingly. The teacher was engaging and very knowledge... and also handsome. Yeah, I said it. And I'll live with it. The class ended at noon. Now it was time to shop! And that's where things went off-course.
It all started in Bookpeople. I found one book, then another. I planned on only one, but I couldn't leave without the other, so here I was buying two books and a pair of socks. Then straight to Waterloo, where it just got worse. I found my CD and records, but then I stumbled upon this. I couldn't leave without it. Damn the price tag (despite the sale going on)!
After that, I stopped by In-n-Out Burger for some food before heading home. As I left for the gas station, my car started to shake quite a bit. I thought it would let up when I got gas, but it didn't. It did get worse when I got into San Antonio, getting off of I-35. The car was shaking so violently that I feared a tire was going to rip right off and send me careening into a concrete wall. I pulled over and checked. Nothing. I even did the kick test. I called my father and told him I was heading over to the house so he could help me check on my car. I got off the freeway and onto a major road. The shaking got more violent. I stopped at a light and heard a "honk". To my left was a woman in her own car, making the gesture to roll down my window. I did.
The following occurred (dialogue to the best of my memory):
Lady: Hey, I think your front right tire is flat.
Me: Yeah, I feared that.
Lady: You need help?
Me: I'm okay. My folks don't live too far.
Lady: Alright, hope you make it.
Me: Thank you!
I didn't. I made it only past that light and pulled into a parking lot. I got out and saw that my front right tire was effing flat. Stunned, I called my father and asked him to help me change the tire. As I waited, I had someone approach me and ask if I needed help. I thanked them, but declined. After that, my father arrived and walked me through the process of changing the tire to the spare I had. When I removed the tire, my father showed me that it wasn't merely flat, it was separating. In other words, it could've gotten way worse. A separating tire can lead to a blow-out, which can lead to something far deadlier than a flat tire. Thankful for my good fortune, I changed the tire to a spare and headed up to Pep Boys, my father trailing behind. I dropped off my car so I could get a full-sized replacement.
My father took me to the house where we chilled for a while and talked about my future trip to Austin in May. For a while, I was thinking of renting a car instead of taking my 13-year-old car on such long journeys. After considering the options, I decided to rent a car for the upcoming concert next month. I then got a call from Pep Boys. The car was ready. My father drove me back there. After thankful hugs and a kiss goodbye, my father and I went back to our respected homes: me to the abode and him to the house.
By the time this was all over, it was six pm. And there was one more thing to happen. I guess my cat was so excited to see me that she didn't properly chew her food, more Hoovered it than anything. As I tried to relax, she started to barf all over the abode. I became Extra Watchful Kitty Mom as I cleaned up after her and gave her tiny amounts of food to replace what she barfed up.
And there it is, the chronicle of the day known as April 2nd, 2016.
Good Golly.
P.S.: If there is any bright side to this, I guess it would be that I now know how to change a tire.
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