Gretchen's Nemesis Resurrects

The evil force is astounding.  It can find her no matter where she goes.  Yesterday, Gretchen's arch-nemesis found her and really did a number.  As you know from my 2nd post yesterday I wasn't feeling good.  The following picks up from that post and is from my viewpoint.

Ring Ring (that's the phone ringing)
Me: Hello
G: Hello
Me: What are doing?
G: I just got back to work.
Me:  They called here from you.
G:  I know they told me.  I need you to pick me up from work.
Me:  Why?
G:  I have a flat tire.  I was...... and when I turned around I ran over one those sewer grates.
M:  Again?

Back story- Gretchen pop a tire on a sewer grate behind the Appellate courthouse in Mount Vernon.  She also had a nail in a tire at St. Mary's. (One guess as to who changed those tires) She once was forced to drive over a concrete block, thus putting a hole in the gas tank.  And finally, after the Great Storm of 2006, she was driving down Broadway next to a truck full of tree limbs when a branch fell off of the truck, bounced up and dented the side of of the car. These are just a few of her mishaps, the rest have to do with backing up but that is for a different day. So when I got the call yesterday, I wasn't surprised.  Roadside hazards had got her again.

Me:  Where's the car?
G:  At a grocery store a few blocks from here.  You'll have to pick up Gracie.
Me:  Okay.  I will wait for the kids and we will go to Sam's.

Three kids in the car with one DS, one with ADHD and no meds and a 5 year old who has to pee.  Yeah, it was a fun trip. (Need some Valium over here)

Fast-forward

We pull up to the car at 5:00 pm.  Not one but two tires are flat.  So much for plan A and now plan B.  Gretchen calls roadside assistance.   They will tow us for free only if they take us to a Ford dealer and it will be 6:30 pm before the get there.  Note:  The dealer will be closed.  Now we both have places to be on Saturday. One car is NOT an option.   Okay plan C.  Shane takes the tires off and goes to Sam's.  So I take the back passenger tire off and put the doughnut on.  Then I go to take the front passenger tire off and either the car gave or the jack gave but both were now bent.  I grab the other jack and get the tire off.  I threw them in the truck and drove to Sam's.  During this time that we were in the parking lot of the grocery store, people kept pulling into the spot beside where I was working.  Finally, I had Gretchen pull the other car over there to stop that nonsense.  Of everyone that was there only one guy asked if I needed help.

Okay.  We drive to Sam's. It looks closed. 
G:  Did they already move?
Me:  Move where?
G:  To Cortana.

We had already past Cortana about 5 minutes ago.  Back to Cortana we go.  I tried to go through the tire center door but it is locked.  I go back to the car because Gretchen has the membership card.  Everyone gets out the car to go in.  We stop and asked the guy if they can help us. 

Tire guy:  We stop taking orders at 6:00 pm.
G:  What time is it?
Me:  6:10.
Tire Center Door:  Open 10-7

It so happens that a manager walked out at the same time this was going on.
Manager lady: blah blah blah blah blah 6:00 pm blah blah blah....../
G: So you're not going to help us?
Manager person:  Ma'am I didn't s/
G:  We need to know so we can go somewhere else.
Manager lady:  We're go to try. blah blah We have 3 people ahead of you.  And what if 3 more people came then we would have to help them. Blah blah blah. 

I never saw the "3" people in front us.
The whole time that I was taking the tires off, I had to smell the Mexican food wafting over from across the street. I kept thinking that when I'm done, I was going to eat there.  I had to settle for Sam's Club Snack Bar pizza.   Mmm Mmm.  Cardboardy.

We get the tires.  Drive back and I put the new tires on the front of the car. Yes, I took a third tire off.  2 people ask if we need help this time.  Gretchen drives home and I follow her.  I once worked with a guy,whose tires fell off his car as I was talking to him on the phone.  "Something just happened," he said.  "Uh-uh.  One of my tires just passed me." Looking back that was pretty funny but it wasn't at the time.  Anyway, I wanted to make sure that didn't happen to her.  It didn't.  THE END?