Single Mom Stranded

It has been an exciting adventure being a single mom. 

Not all of us are broke and barely scraping by but when we are instead of tales of being seen at all the cool parties and events we have tales of our adventures in just getting by.

Here is the story of the last time I was stranded with an automobile.

I called all my previous little used cars single mom jalopies. None of mine were eye sores or dropping parts but they were old and stopped running long before I was ready to move on.

One night a few winters ago I was headed east through Sacramento. I was living in Natomas but had some place to be this particular evening. 

As I came down from the off ramp at Watt avenue close to the freeway still heading westward I was cresting towards the light  when my cars' engine died.

Before I could do more than turn the key once or twice and try not to panic there was a new reason to.

If you do not know, I am a little ethnic woman. The street was dark and quiet it might have been as late as 9 p.m.

Suddenly without any serious time passing I saw three of four youngish looking white males. They all had baldish heads. They were moving towards my car waving at me. 

For a moment I felt…trapped. 

Where did they come from? 

Did they mean me any harm? 

How did they know I was in distress enough to need help already?

They were coming from the right side of the street where there are stores and fast food eateries, a mini strip mall type of situation. I am familiar this area and had no other reason to fear for my overall safety.

These rowdy young guys reached my car and began to lay their hands on it banging on the hood. It did not seem as if they meant any harm although I was still a bit startled.

They wanted to help push me out of the street. 

Aww how sweet. 

They did that and stayed to see if they could help get me going again. When I was pulled into a space we lifted the hood but as I retried the car it started and they left.

Silly me I thought my nightmare was over. 

I moved a few feet down the road through the next light and a bit around the bend when my car died again. I could not restart it and there I sat.

I sent out some SOS calls and texts. I listened to the radio. I tried to nap. 

I did not have the money for a tow much less car repairs.

Eventually my roommate from the Natomas area, who was out and about when she got word of what was going on with me, but only as far as the Arcade area, came and got me. 

The folks I was trying to meet up with in Rancho Cordova stopped by to see about me but none of us could remedy the car problem in the chilly dark.

I went home and sat around for a week trying to figure out what to do. When we went to go see about it again it started as if nothing had happened. It turned out that winter that I needed a new battery.

I wish I could say I/we figured this out  with this incident…