Kevin was working on his racecar with his friend, who was doing welding that Kevin isn't able to do himself. He's been waiting a while for this friend to make an appearance and he was finally here. So of course, he gets interrupted.
The truck is back in the shop, again, and that's a whole other story to tell. Remember our mechanic is Kevin's childhood best friend. We were just at the shop the night before.
Well, mechanic phones and Kevin thinks it's about our truck. No, it's the mechanic's daughter. She is a delivery driver (for a large delivery service that will remain nameless) and was stuck on a backroad near our house. Would Kevin be able to help?
Of course Kevin said yes, because "He would never tell me no, if I needed something." Then he came into the house and asked if I wanted to go along. HELL YEAH.
I put on grubby shoes and an old hoodie and off we went.
She was stuck on a goat trail of a road about two miles from our house. Super narrow, muddy, windy and going uphill further into the foothills than we already are.
Randomly Kevin announces "You are never having a job like this."
Umm, okay? It wasn't on my list but good to know.
What he meant was traveling these back roads alone, in an unincorporated part of a rural county. I have to admit even I, Girls Can Do Anything, was in agreement. It's dumb to send women alone to these remote places, on multiple safety levels.
We finally get there and she isn't just stuck but S.T.U.C.K. Her truck "slid off the shoulder" and the back tire was buried so deep in mud, the bumper was also buried in the mud.
I didn't take photos because I didn't want the liability if something went wrong. Just imagine big delivery truck and the back quarter of the truck is buried in mud. On a mountain.
Kevin's truck - nor the mechanic's truck - could get past her to pull her up and out. Because it can't possibly happen the easiest and safest way.
Luckily, both guys have all the stuff for pulling out trucks, like back-in-the-day when we all went four-wheeling on the regular.
This is where I describe the daughter and unfortunately, also her mom. They are...how shall I say this?...dumb as bricks. The daughter is very pretty but as soon as she speaks you are all "Oh, no, sweetie. Stop talking." And her volume button is broken, everything is at a soothing shout level. Even Kevin who is going deaf, was all "Damn, girl."
This is how I end up traipsing through the woods to help wrap a strap around an old-growth tree and stomping down saplings so nothing is in the way and/or possible projectiles. "Look at you, Mountain Girl" Kevin says. It's like he completely forgotten how much I loved four-wheeling. And no one else who wasn't a guy was HELPING
Also, dumb as bricks pair was busy talking about I don't even know what. It turns into the sound of Charlie Brown's teacher after a while for me. But what choice was there but to help, even though I am not the one with a truck in the ditch.
Everything is put together and Kevin starts to pull with his truck. It starts to move, slides and then comes to an abrupt stop. Because she got scared and hit the brakes. Sigh. If you're ever in this situation: you watch the spotter and you do not stop unless they tell you. Momentum is a thing.
Out she comes from the driver's seat and in goes her dad. We should have started this way but whatever.
Then the strap breaks. The strap was probably 35 years old so it had served it's time. Kevin got his Boy Scout on, tied it in a knot and tried again. Unfortunately, the truck then came out but slid into the mud on the other side of the road. PERFECT.
Kevin's now muttering about how he just washed his truck yesterday. This is making me laugh, which is - as you may have guessed - not helpful.
Oh, and it took two times to get Dumb As Bricks to get out of the way of the cable. Both guys told them and they were talking and didn't hear, maybe? I didn't even try to tell them/help. I just literally walked away as one of them was talking to me and got into the truck. For those of you who are not redneck: it's so if the cable snaps, you get to keep your head. Pretty basic safety stuff.
I was the spotter for Kevin while he was watching what was happening behind him. Again: I forgot how much I loved this back-in-the-day.
Finally after a bit of manuevering, the boys get the truck out. Her dad backs it down the road, turns it around, and we were able to leave. It took about an hour all said and done. Once we got rolling, Kevin wasted no time. "I'm not stopping if she gets stuck again. She can live in that truck." Not true, but funny all the same.
And that's how we spent our Sunday afternoon.
 |
| This was on the way back down the foothill. Kevin was not interested in stopping for photography, so: blurry. |
No comments:
Post a Comment