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SUBJECT: # 4329: Dinner and a Movie
Submitted by minner from ALABAMA on 5/27/2008 10:46:00 AM
This past weekend I had gotten the kitchen pass to go fishing for a little while. I was excited because my fishing had been limited lately since my wife gave birth to our first child 4 months ago. The night before I got everything ready to go….you know the usual. I got up early in the a.m., the dog was really excited too because he knew something was up, so I decided I’d take him along for company. I loaded up and off I went. At about 10:30 my cell phone rings…….it’s the wife. It turns out, my mother-in-law wants to keep the baby that evening which opens up the opportunity for my wife and I to have a much needed “date”. She tells me she wants to go to a movie and then to dinner. To make it even more tempting she tells me she wants to go see the new Indiana Jones movie. I hated to limit my fishing but I wasn’t catching much so I jump at the chance. I told her I’d go, and she told me we could catch the 3:15 movie and we’d have time to eat dinner and still be home for bed time. I told her I’d be home around 2:15 in order to leave plenty of time to get ready; the “date” was set.
I kept fishing through the morning, but kept the 2:15 deadline in mind. I was still a 50 minute drive from home so figured I’d get off the water about 1:15. At 1 o’clock I headed in and made it to the boat ramp. Well it seems that some redneck decided it was good idea to work on his fish’n ski that he hadn’t ran since last Memorial Day weekend. The mess of a boat was partially launched and in the middle of the ramp. To make matters worse I was about the 3rd boat in line to load once the redneck gout out of the way. (Good thing I left plenty time right). Finally after his emberraced girlfriend talked him into moving we were all able to load. I’m now 15 minutes behind. It’s all good though because……..I left plenty of time.
I had to go through Decatur Alabama in route to my home and pass by the State Docks. Well as luck would have it a freight train is idling its way across the road when I get to a set railroad tracks……Everyone is stopped and I wait for 10 minutes for the train to clear the road before we can proceed…….Good thing I left plenty of time right?
I pass through Decatur and get on the Interstate, I only have 22 miles left to go. Should be easy from here. and I’ll make it by 2:40 still in plenty of time.
I was on the home stretch when I looked back at my driver side trailer tire and thought I noticed a little vibration. I was on the interstate and in heavy (Memorial weekend) traffic and couldn't pull off easily. I was still about 15 miles from home. At first I figured I was being over conscious of my situation until the vibrations worsened. My first thoughts were of course; bearing failure. I needed to get off the road and check it out, but I figured if something was wrong I'd be on the side of the road a while and it was 85 degrees and I had my dog in the truck with me. Luckily up ahead was an overpass so I started easing off the side of the road and into the bridge's shade, just as I started to hear the whine of the emergency lane I noticed the suspect tire going down, by the time I got the truck in the shade it was completely flat. After inspection of the tire I realized it had a broken belt. I then got out my bottle jack and lug wrench and went to work. Well, bottle jacks are great when you need to store them in a tight spot but they suck when you need to get under a trailer’s low slung axle. I knew this was going to be a problem earlier when I pulled off the interstate so in preparation of digging a cat hole I pulled the trailer almost completely off the pavement, leaving only the flat tire on. I dug a hole, loosened the lugs, jacked up the trailer and took the flat tire off. Took the spare tire off and put the spent tire in its place and hand tightened the spare’s lugs back on. I mounted the spare, removed the jack and threw the jack and wrench in the back of my truck. Got in the truck and got about ¾ a mile down the road when I realized I had left my Costa del Mar sunglasses on the gunnel of the boat while I was changing tires. $&%^!!!!! Pulled off the interstate, jumped out and looked back at my boat…….no glasses, walked to the rear of the boat and somehow by and act of God they had fallen into the bottom of my boat, wheeewwwww. Back on the road. 1 mile later I realized that I had not tightened the spare back on with a wrench. Pull off a 3rd time. Get out the wrench, tightened the lugs down, which only had an about 1 thread left before the lug came loose and the tire fell off going 70mph and wacked the side of my boat. Got back in truck and on the road. 1 mile later I realized I had left the lug nut/hub cover on the side of the road. *&^% it, I’m not turning around, I’m already late. I make it to my driveway and start to back in, thanking God this mess was over and I was only 45 minutes late. I start to back up when my brakes locked up on my trailer……….your kidding me right, I rock the truck back and forth lightly and brakes are still locked up. Sweet mother of pearl….. I jump out remove the pin and slam it into the surge brake coupling to override the brake mechanism. Jump back in and finish backing up, leaving the truck and trailer in the driveway. I run inside and I am confronted with the usual “what took so long”. In the calmest way I could (at the time) I replied, “I don’t need to hear this from you, not now.” She evidently realized she shouldn’t mess with me (one of the few times) and let it be. I had twenty minutes until the movie started and the theater was 15 minutes away, and I still had to shower’n shave. At 3:14 I opened the door for my wife at the theater entrance exhausted but with my chest bowed out. I was looking down at my watch when the wife asked what I was smiling about. I told her, “You wouldn’t understand”. I had beaten the clock, and laughed in its face…..what else ya got?
- 5/29/2008 4:46:00 PM
Submitted by
Pro Craft 1 #10440 from ALABAMA says Great story
I was pulling for you at the end.Glad you made your wife happy.
- 5/31/2008 4:22:00 AM
Submitted by
Spooled Again from OTHER says Yeah minner!
Your just lucky I had your back.SA
Good story and thanks fer sharin.
Hello!...... Grid?
- 6/19/2008 9:27:00 PM
Submitted by
Bobber (76.178.139.100) from IDAHO says Gridleak
I concur SA, good one Gridleak... You ole fecal-eater
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