a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Friday, October 1, 2010

Time Travel

A low tire can bring many thoughts, curse words and disasters but today it resurrected a memory.

About twenty years ago, I was training in Little Rock.  It required a week, thus extended motel stay so this outside person was a little antsy. You can only read so much and watch so much tv before the outside calls you.  I had been cautioned not to leave the motel after dark.

Looking out the window, I noticed a gentleman walking up and down behind the vehicles.  Called security, no result.  I continued to watch him, you can tell when someone is up to no good.  He pulled his truck in and the back was full of spare tires. 

Being a trusting person, I walked out and talked to the guy...he pretended to check his oil.  Early in our marriage, we could get tires with rims cheaper than we could buy a new tire so I thought this must be the case. I told him to have a good evening...and I secretly watched.

The guys was stealing every one's truck spare tires!!!!!  He had walked down the line, let all the tires to the ground and then came with his vehicle and threw the stolen tires in.

I called security again...same result, no show.

I walked down to my truck, still in my tie-dyed pjs, removed my tire iron from the truck and watched.  He saw me and started to drive off.

I chased him!  Yes, barefooted, in pjs and with a tire iron in my hand.  His license plate is mud-covered.  I have the type and  make of his truck.  I know how the hotel lot is laid out so I know there is only one way out.  I turn to cut him off at the pass.

As he rounds the corner, I reach the same spot.  He is looking straight ahead.  I slap the window of the driver's side and the look on his face was priceless!!!  He sped off with a slightly surprised, maybe a little scared look on  his face.

I go into the office of the motel, the security guard is drinking coffee...and while they look surprised at the site of me, they did call the police...maybe they were scared of me.

The police arrived, argued with my description of the thief...they tried to make him black, he was not.  I talked to the man, I chased him, I knew the brand of his jeans!

To shorten my story, my spare tire was stolen along with all the trucks there.  The police did nothing except say, Don't worry, lady, he won't be back tonight.  He knows there's a crazy lady staying here.

What memories do a flat tire evoke for you????

12 comments:

Unknown said...

OMG! And I thought only Mex police were corrupt. I didn't know that happened where you lived too. Well, actually I did. I've heard stories like that before. With attitudes like that, no wonder people take the law into their own hands.

CD

Country Gal said...

Good for you ya nutter lol I dont drive as of yet due to illness but as a teen I did go after some guys that were harrasing me with a tire iron and for some reason never saw them again! As for the cops they are wrong to automatically jump to that discription of the perp being black, there are all kinds of bad in every nationality ! Have a great day .

Chickadee said...

WOW. I'm disappointed that no one got fired in that account. The law enforcement was just as bad as the thief...almost wonder if someone (like the security guard) was in on that one.

ellen abbott said...

You should have smacked his windshield with that tire iron.

I had a flat one day in front of a house where I had gone to take some measurements for a job. I changed it myself while the two yard men across the street watched me struggle with getting the lug nuts off, struggle with getting the tire out of the trunk, struggle with getting it on the wheel. Nice guys.

Razzberry Corner said...

How exciting! That was a good story - well told!

A flat tire really evokes a distant story in my mind... It's been so long since I thought about this...

Back when my husband and I were dating, ten thousand years ago, back when we were both teenagers, we were goofing off, wasting time driving in circles around behind the high school in my hometown on a cold winter night. It had just snowed, it was like a blizzard. Several feet of snow was on the ground. I was trying to be too cool and was wearing high heels and tight blue jeans, but I was warm and safe inside the car. Needless to say, my man was spinning the car out in the snow in the parking lot. I told him he'd better be careful or he'd hit the curb and get a flat tire. Needless to say, he hit the curb and got a flat tire. He had a spare, but no tools to remove the lug nuts. And so he and I in my high heels hiked thru snow that was up to my thighs to neighboring houses to ask for help. He ended up carrying me up to the front door of several houses (some people were not home), I was shivering and wet and cold. Finally a nice old man loaned us the tools needed, and my man carried me back to the car to replace the flat. We laughed about that for years. Thanks for evoking this memory...

~Lynn

Rudee said...

You'd survive just fine in Detroit, girlfriend. Unlike you, I have no fabulous flat tire stories.

Pyatshaw said...

We've had plenty of flat tyres but none with such a scary story attached. You are one brave lady!

Farm Girl said...

Wow what a great story. Lots of things you talk about bring up memories but none as good as this one.
I do wonder, what is it that makes no fear. Many times I have done something like that, I was not afraid until it was over, then I sat and shook.
I think you are very brave.

Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country said...

Oh my goodness! You go girl! And by the way, that was something, about the cops trying to make him black!

The first ticket I ever got, when I was 17-years-old, was for having a studded snow tire on my first car, which was a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500, powder blue, convertible. I had no idea what a studded snow tire was. I still don't. My first flat was with one of those tires and I had to call Daddy to come and help me.

Irene said...

You are a brave woman, Gail, and that security guard was a mean SOB. So were those cops. I'm glad there are people like you around who stand up for what's right and have the balls to not be intimidated, by the criminals or the law enforcers.

LindaG said...

It's scary that no one did anything.
I wish I had your courage. That was awesome. :)

D. Jean Quarles said...

What a great story! Loved the image of you in the P.J.'s. So very brave.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...