Car Trouble: It Could Have Been Worse

by | Sep 25, 2013 | Vanuatu | 4 comments

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Coming home from Glacier

The sign says, “Go straight,” but the GPS is telling me to turn, so I pull into the left hand turn lane and stop.

“What do you think?” my daughter asks.

“I think,” I say, changing my mind, “I’ll follow the sign.” I swing back to the right and gun it. Suddenly … boom! Something under me explodes. “What in the world?” I yell, my heart pounding as I make my way up the road and over to the shoulder. Every time I touch the gas, the car roars. It sounds like the muffler’s gone, only worse.

It’s my daughter’s car, a 2007 Volvo. And … we’re 375 miles from her house—mountains, deserts, forests, lakes and more mountains between Kalispell, Montana and Ellensburg, Washington. Heck! We aren’t even to Kalispell yet.

We find a repair shop, but they’re swamped, can’t possibly fit us in. “Why don’t you try the muffler shop,” they say.

It might not be the muffler, but what choice do we have? I’m feeling shaky as we drive to the muffler shop. Car trouble always upsets me.

After a brief discussion with the owner, I drive the car onto the lift, get out and watch as they raise it up. The owner and two mechanics duck under its tons of steel and crane their necks. “Oh-oh,” they moan, one after the other. “Oh-oh!” They shake their heads. “The turbo,” they say. “Or maybe the catalytic converter.”

“The turbo would cost you an arm and a leg.” The boss winces. “And finding a catalytic converter would be tough in Montana where nobody drives a Volvo. I know how hard this is,” he says, looking truly sympathetic. “But repairing your car will take days. Maybe weeks.”

Now what? We’re on our way home. My daughter has to go to work tomorrow.

It could’ve been worse.

I don’t mean to minimize the cost and inconvenience of our break down, but an hour or two later—once I’ve stopped shaking and hyperventilating—I’m thinking happy thoughts.

By now we’re driving home in a rented Chevy Impala. The sun is shining, the lakes sparkling, the highway leading us almost effortlessly over mountain after mountain, and I’m thinking, This could’ve been worse.

021_21It could have happened on our way to Glacier National Park. Before we drove along Going-to-the-Sun Road. Before we saw the wildflowers and mist at Logan Pass. Before St. Mary’s Falls, Two Medicine Lake, Avalanche Gorge, two glorious boat rides and six invigorating hikes.

We could have been traveling like Lewis and Clark, fighting our way through the Rocky Mountains without 001_1the benefit of highways and automobiles.

And because I’ve written a novel about China during the Second World War, I can’t help thinking that this peaceful land we’re driving through could be wracked by war, and instead of taking a vacation trip, my daughter and I could be confined in our house, hiding from enemy soldiers who have confiscated our food and who now patrol our streets, bayonets glinting at the ends of their rifles.

We cross the state line into Idaho, which (dare I say) is even more beautiful than Montana. My daughter finds a radio station, and we sing along with Katy Perry as speedboats stir up the blue waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene. We’re only 170 miles from Ellensburg.

I admit that having your car break down when you’re far from home is a pain in the butt. But really, it could have been a whole lot worse.

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4 Comments

  1. chinaelevatorstories

    This could have been a really boring story, if it wasn’t written by you. It captured me right from the beginning.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Following your blog, I’ve learned the pleasure of learning about life in China through the conversations you relate and the details of daily life.

      Reply
  2. Berta Oster

    So glad you could see the beauty in your adventure…but then, I’m thinking that’s a normal thing for you…I’m so enjoying your life stories!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Thank you, Berta. After spending a few days with my kids and grandchildren in such a beautiful place, I couldn’t dwell on our car trouble for long.

      Reply

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