The Shadow
I had a double-lucky day Wednesday.
It began normally. I knew I had to go to Covington for the library and Food Lion and (cheaper) gas. So, off I tootled. Little did I know, but danger lurked.
I was coming off a curve on Covington mountain, and there it was, smack in front of me: A huge tree limb, full of branches, across my lane. A big pile of danger.
I slammed on the brakes, knowing I’d hit it no matter what. And, I did. My car groaned and refused to barely move. I limped over to the side of the road and got out to look, fearing I had flattened a tire or two.
I looked at the back. Nothing to see, tires inflated. I looked under the middle. Nothing to see. So: why wouldn’t the car move?
I went around front and saw the big problem: The tree limb, all 15 or so feet of it, stuck under the front of my car. About six feetof it jutting out the front, and the rest stuck underneath. I tried to pull it out. Nothing doing. It was very heavy, and I could tell it was caught up in something.
What to do? I knew it was a bad situation. I needed help. I could not move that limb on my own. I needed manpower.
Soon enough, along comes a small dark sedan. I stepped into the lane, waved my hands frantically in a “Help!” gesture. The car seemed to hesitate, and then slowed. The fellow in the car with license plates “DA SCOTT” got out.
“Need help?” he needlessly asked.
I told him I couldn’t lift or move the limb. He pulled over and assessed the situation. I started to help him and he said, “No. It’s too heavy. Let me do it.”
My hero tried, had no luck, and then suggested I get in and back up the car, exposing more of the limb. I did. I could hear a sickening grinding noise. He told me to move back a little further. I did. More grinding. I could tell something was firmly lodged underneath.
He came around to the side, hunkered down, and said to move up a couple feet. Then, he got to work. Meanwhile, other vehicles, including a tractor-trailer, inched past in the other lane, looking at the spectacle and moving on down the road.
It took about 15 minutes of backing and forthing and pulling and dragging, but finally, my hero removed the limb from under the car. It was about 15 feet long. In the middle, there was a big “knee” or knot, that had been holding me back.
Ah Geez, I thought. Something is torn up under there, that’s for sure. My hero laid on the snowy roadside and peered. “Nothing’s leaking out,” he said. I was happy to hear it. “See if you can drive it,” he suggested.
I could! I pulled over again, to get out, shake his hand, bless and thank him. He said, “It could happen to anyone. It has happened to me!”
He kindly offered to follow me down the mountain to the Honda dealership. DA SCOTT, My hero!
Although the car drove fine, I wanted the guys to put it up on the lift and check everything. And lo, they did that in about 15 minutes. One of the mechanics came strolling in. He was shaking his head in wonder. “Everything seems just fine,” he said. “There’s bark caught underneath, but nothing is torn up or damaged. You’ve gotta love it!”
Bingo! A feeling of relief swept over me. I was giddy with it. My car was fine after a very scary incident. And, I had the idea for this week’s column.
Life … as the mechanic said, you gotta love it!
