Fleeting thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp!
About a month ago, I heard a funny noise coming from the outside of my car as I was driving down the Interstate. It went thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! I slowed down and the thmping stopped. Something was loose, but I didn't know what. By the time I arrived home, I had forgotten all about it. Until the next day, that is. On my way to work, I heard it again - thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! As I slowed down, I made a mental note to check it out as soon as I got to work.
It turned out to be the gasket that surrounds the windshield, it had come loose and was flapping in the wind. I pushed the gasket back into place, making another mental note to drive home by a route other than the Interstate and to take it to the repair shop to have it fixed as soon as I could.
A couple of weeks later Old Man asked if I had the windshield fixed. Of course I hadn't. Dear Reader, don't you just hate it when you are treated like a child? That's what I felt like when Old Man told me to get it repaired the next day and no excuses. Well, I had no excuses for the previous 2 weeks! I just kept forgetting. I would remember when I thought about using the Interstate, but then I wouldn't have time to go the repair shop. All he had to do is remind me.
I woke up earlier than usual the next morning, determined to show Old Man I can take care of my own car without his help. My friend Nancy greeted me and asked why I was there, it wasn't time for my tune-up. So, I told her about the thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! and the loose molding around the windshield.
"We don't do those kinds of repairs. You'll have to go to the glass place down the street. Let me see what you're talking about, though."
We chatted amiably on our way out to my car asking about each other's families. But, as we approached the car, I stopped dead in my tracks, dumbstruck.
"Oh, my goodness! Nancy, the wind has taken it completely off!" I cried.
"What? What has the wind taken?" Nancy asked, the look of worry beginning to creep into her eyes.
Panic stricken, I hastily replied, "The molding! I haven't been over 45 mph for 2 weeks, but the wind still took it! It's gone! Look!"
Nancy stood close to the windshield peering at it, slowly shaking her head. "Honey, I don't think there's supposed to be molding here."
"Yes, there is, but it's gone. I know, I pushed it back down into the groove myself. I know what I did!" I was getting a little worried about my sanity now. I think Nancy was beginning to wonder, too because when I looked over at her, her worried eyes were scanning the parking lot. I thought to myself, "What is she doing? Doesn't she know I'm losing my mind?"
"Carol, none of the cars here have molding going across the top of the windshield. They just don't do that anymore." She started to walk further away from my car, but toward a group of cars parked close by. I don't know if she was wanting to find molding around the top of a windshield so her friend would not be crazy, or if she thought she might be able to help me put the pieces together in my mind if we didn't find any cars with the molding. Either way, we looked for about 10 minutes before making our way back to my car. We had found no molding.
As we walked back to my car, I was seriously wondering about my mental capacity. What does one do about this? This isn't forgetfulness, this is remembering what wasn't! I hallucinated when I heard the thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! I hallucinated when I thought I pushed the silver molding into the groove. And, Dear Reader, I did it without any external help!
I was trying to figure out what kind of doctor I needed, when a mechanic came out of the shop to see what was going on, why were we looking at other people's cars. He leaned against my car, casually reaching over to pop the gasket back in place on the top of my windshield.
"What did you just do?" I asked.
"You have a loose gasket here. You should really take it over to the glass place so they can fix that for you."
Laughing hysterically, Nancy tried to explain what the non-problem was. I was laughing, too, but from shear embarrassment. I swore Nancy and the mechanic, Mike, to secrecy. I told them I would take my business elsewhere if they told a soul. So far, it looks as though they've kept their mouth shut!
© 2011 Carol Phares
It turned out to be the gasket that surrounds the windshield, it had come loose and was flapping in the wind. I pushed the gasket back into place, making another mental note to drive home by a route other than the Interstate and to take it to the repair shop to have it fixed as soon as I could.
A couple of weeks later Old Man asked if I had the windshield fixed. Of course I hadn't. Dear Reader, don't you just hate it when you are treated like a child? That's what I felt like when Old Man told me to get it repaired the next day and no excuses. Well, I had no excuses for the previous 2 weeks! I just kept forgetting. I would remember when I thought about using the Interstate, but then I wouldn't have time to go the repair shop. All he had to do is remind me.
I woke up earlier than usual the next morning, determined to show Old Man I can take care of my own car without his help. My friend Nancy greeted me and asked why I was there, it wasn't time for my tune-up. So, I told her about the thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! and the loose molding around the windshield.
"We don't do those kinds of repairs. You'll have to go to the glass place down the street. Let me see what you're talking about, though."
We chatted amiably on our way out to my car asking about each other's families. But, as we approached the car, I stopped dead in my tracks, dumbstruck.
"Oh, my goodness! Nancy, the wind has taken it completely off!" I cried.
"What? What has the wind taken?" Nancy asked, the look of worry beginning to creep into her eyes.
Panic stricken, I hastily replied, "The molding! I haven't been over 45 mph for 2 weeks, but the wind still took it! It's gone! Look!"
Nancy stood close to the windshield peering at it, slowly shaking her head. "Honey, I don't think there's supposed to be molding here."
"Yes, there is, but it's gone. I know, I pushed it back down into the groove myself. I know what I did!" I was getting a little worried about my sanity now. I think Nancy was beginning to wonder, too because when I looked over at her, her worried eyes were scanning the parking lot. I thought to myself, "What is she doing? Doesn't she know I'm losing my mind?"
"Carol, none of the cars here have molding going across the top of the windshield. They just don't do that anymore." She started to walk further away from my car, but toward a group of cars parked close by. I don't know if she was wanting to find molding around the top of a windshield so her friend would not be crazy, or if she thought she might be able to help me put the pieces together in my mind if we didn't find any cars with the molding. Either way, we looked for about 10 minutes before making our way back to my car. We had found no molding.
As we walked back to my car, I was seriously wondering about my mental capacity. What does one do about this? This isn't forgetfulness, this is remembering what wasn't! I hallucinated when I heard the thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! thmp! I hallucinated when I thought I pushed the silver molding into the groove. And, Dear Reader, I did it without any external help!
I was trying to figure out what kind of doctor I needed, when a mechanic came out of the shop to see what was going on, why were we looking at other people's cars. He leaned against my car, casually reaching over to pop the gasket back in place on the top of my windshield.
"What did you just do?" I asked.
"You have a loose gasket here. You should really take it over to the glass place so they can fix that for you."
Laughing hysterically, Nancy tried to explain what the non-problem was. I was laughing, too, but from shear embarrassment. I swore Nancy and the mechanic, Mike, to secrecy. I told them I would take my business elsewhere if they told a soul. So far, it looks as though they've kept their mouth shut!
© 2011 Carol Phares
So is it fixed yet?????
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