By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
JAN. 4, 2019 | Sometimes modern marvels combine with just plain luck to save you.
It happened to me on a trip to attend a wedding in Birmingham, Ala., last weekend. Our grand-niece was getting married. She had graduated from Samford University and now works for the university.
It was a four p.m. wedding on New Year’s Eve. Leaving the hotel for the venue, as soon as I got on an expressway, I noticed on the dashboard that my left front tire had only 19 pounds of pressure, and the other tires had about 35. Something was amiss. At least modern auto technology told me of the tire pressure, something my previous cars did not have.
What to do? In something of a jam to be at the wedding on time, we motored on. The site was about 15 minutes away. We got there on time; the tire still now showed only 17 pounds of pressure, but it was drivable.
Soon the bridesmaids were coming down the aisle, and after that came the smiling bride. Her father, a minister, was the principal conductor of joining the couple together, admitting to have to fight back tears realizing his daughter was being wed.
Shortly the couple marched back down the aisle as husband-and-wife. And it was picture time for the couple and family. Yet I had a vehicle with a problem, and with this being Monday, and the next day New Year’s Day when most shops (and probably every tire store in Birmingham would be closed), I needed to skip the photos.
One of the Samford students remembered a tire store close by, and here I am on the way. It was about a 16 block trip. Luckily, the store did not close until 6 p.m., and it was about 4:45 when I got there. Two guys manned the tire shop, though there were no other customers.
After explaining my situation, they said they could fix it. Inspecting the tire, they called me outside, pointing to the tire. The way the wheel had stopped, the big-headed roofing nail was at the top of the tire, sticking out about a quarter inch. “That’s the problem,” they said.
Drizzly rain was falling, but the two rolled out a jack, raised the car, and soon had the tire off. “You don’t need a plug, but a patch,” one said, taking the tire inside. After about 10 minutes, the tire was repaired, and soon back on the vehicle.
“How much?” I asked, and gladly paid them $15.
Moments later, I was headed back to the wedding venue, with all four tires primed with air. What a cozy feeling! I got back to the venue in time to enjoy the food at the reception, eventually including a delicious and unusual wedding cake. The cake had no icing on the outside, as most cakes do, instead showed raspberry jam and cream between the layers!
The next day we easily cruised back home, with the tire pressure holding steady. I had just in time dodged a bullet, thanks not only to modern technology, but also for a late afternoon tire shop being open and its workers most helpful.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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