Whew! What a busy day. Remember we’re the folks who never have company and never go anywhere. This morning my friend, Doris, called to see if I had a lime green thread. I sent her pictures of a couple of greens I had so she came over. Visitor #1. Then Connie, the lady who owns the big ranch house that’s for sale, was out on the RTV with her twin 2 year old grandsons and they stopped to see the chickens. Visitors #2, 3 and 4. Then her husband came over on the lawn mower. Isn’t it funny how folks in the country visit on the RTV, or the lawn mower, or the tractor but rarely in the car? He was Visitor #5. He wanted to see if we had a weed eater he could borrow. Yep, but it took a while to find it. Then he came back to see if we had some kind of thing to pound poles into the ground. Yep, but we had to find it. Then Connie came back to see if we had a caulk gun. Yep, but give us a minute to find it. You’d have thought we had a party going on around here today with all the folks coming and going. We enjoyed all the visitors!
Then, Chad called:
Chad: Mom, don’t ask any questions . . but, do we have towing insurance?
Me: I don’t know. Look at your insurance card and there should be a number to call. Call them and see. What happened?
Chad: My truck isn’t running and I’m in Kansas City!
Me: Where in KC?
Chad: On the side of the interstate. I’ll call you back.
You know it seemed like an eternity before he called me back.
He called back and told me he does have towing insurance. They pay 50. He didn’t know if they paid the first $50 or if they paid for 50 miles and he was going to have it towed all the way back to Wal-Mart in Nevada, which was over 100 miles. I’m thinking . . you’re going to be real surprised at the bill. Then he called me back to tell me that the tow truck guy called and said it was going to cost $300 over what the insurance company was paying so Chad decided to come up with another option.
It ended up that one of his good friends lives not far out of Kansas City so Chad called him. He’s engaged and his future father-in-law works on big engines at work but he also has restored several old cars so he knows how to work on vehicles. He also had a big flat trailer so he came and met them, loaded Chad’s truck on his trailer and took it to his house. Chad, who doesn’t know much about mechanics, thought it was the alternator so they bought an alternator but it wasn’t that. They’ve figured out that it’s the fuel pump, which is kind of an issue in that model truck. The old guy Chad bought the truck from told him that was something that would go wrong.
They’re leaving the truck at the man’s house. Nicole’s parents are going to KC to get them. They can’t get back to Kansas City til Tuesday but they’ll go back then and the man will help them change the fuel pump and hopefully everything will be good. The man wants Chad to be there while he’s working on it and that’s probably a good thing. The more Chad sees, the more likely he will be to learning something useful.
It’s hard to not be there to help solve Chad’s problems but I guess that’s what growing up is all about, huh?
NancyB says
What a full day you had. I can imagine how you felt knowing Chad was having truck trouble. We have been through times like that, too. Very anxious times. But….Chad came up with a solution! Road to maturity. good job, Chad.
ida in Central PA says
Don’t you love those calls?
One of my favorite calls was “I think I left my wallet at the last service plaza.” This was Labor Day weekend — on Friday. He was moving to Nebraska, and was at “the last service plaza in Ohio”, but realized it when he was “somewhere in Indiana — about half a gas tank in.” In miles, that’s a mere 400 from me! 😉
We quick made plans, while he was calling the service plaza. He wouldn’t know for two hours (when the State Police got into the locked room any found items were placed in) if his wallet was there or not. Thankfully, it was his wallet, and he made it to the last toll plaza — the police drove it out that far to meet him. Otherwise, he would have been w/o two bank cards, and his driver’s license.
My second favorite call was: “I can’t find my bank card.” This was on Easter Sunday … and he needed gas. There were no Western Union’s in the area — that were open. He was exactly half-way home from here (about 4 hours). Thankfully, the gas station where he realized his ‘loss’ took my credit card number over the phone, and he could get a full tank, that would get him home.
Don’t even get me started on the Facebook status update; “I just nailgunned my hand.” That was without a phone call first to say he was okay .. that it wasn’t bad. He did call me before he posted about shooting himself in the foot w/ the nailgun — after I ‘freaked’ about the hand.
As for towing insurance, if you get the PremierAAA insurance, it covers up to 200 miles. I bought that for my household, and gave it to my son as a gift. Now that he’s living waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out there in Nebraska, I do feel better that he can get towed home, even if I can’t help him.
They may grow up, but they’re always our babies!
Carol says
I know what you mean about wanting to be there. My daughter lives in California (I’m in O-H-I-O). She would call me and say, “Never fall asleep on the ferry with coffee in your hands.” What could I do but listen to her complain. Oh how I wanted to run over and clean her up. Sadly, they grow up, learn to take care of things themselves and still call home to tell you they love you!
Marilyn Smith says
Judy – I just deleted a long post. Having been there and done all we could for them, they were both adults and employed…we cut the money. Time for us to figure out the retirement etc. for us. In an extreme emergency, we can help. But, we long ago cut off paying for things they really need to be paying for. It is their maturing and taking care of business. It is part of growing up, figuring out their problems…and paying for it. We never had anyone to bail us out. Our boys did for awhile..but it stopped when they graduated from college and were gainfully employed. Best thing we ever did for them. They now thank us for making them assume their own responsibilities.
You are such a good Mom…..
You just said it,
Linda in NE says
We’re kind of like you…don’t have lots of visitors. But then there will be a couple days when there are vehicles in & out all day. Kind of like the phone never ringing except when I’m trying to take a nap.
Sounds like Chad’s on the way to getting his truck problems sorted out. So often it’s not what you know but who you know.
Roberta says
This might bring the kids closer to you in the end. Just thinking here and hoping!!!
Hugs!!!!
Chris in South Jersey says
Judy, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t improve as they age. My son is a 37 year old Iraqi war vet (he’s stationed at Ft Lewis and has PTSD, but don’t get me started on that rant). He has been in an on-again-off-again relationship with this girl. He called me yesterday saying they broke up for good and by the way he doesn’t have any food for the rest of the month. (??!!??). I was torn by conflicting emotions. I’ll leave it at that.
Erin says
you were sure busy yesterday!! I bet the day flew by!!! I am glad Chad and Nicole were taken care of..gives you piece of mind! I am glad he called you to find out about tow insurance..because the domino effect of the truck being taken care of worked out..now he knows he has it..and for him it’s a learning experience …they all learn ..Mom’s are always there!!! You are the best Judy!
Michelle says
After trying to actually use the towing coverage on our insurance, we went back to AAA. I called our agent, during office hours, to ask for help because we were stranded by the side of the interstate 1000 miles from home…and she told me to find a local tow company that took -thatbigcompanyIcompletelyhate- and they’d reimburse us later. Getting reimbursed wasn’t the problem, it was finding a tow truck in the first place.
It’s not as inexpensive as the roadside coverage on insurance was, but it’s saved my tail a few times. And really helped out when we went to leave the park one summer night just before dark and my best friend managed to lock her keys in her car! 🙂