Some
of you may be wondering about my sanity - angels indeed - but I'm
not talking about the winged heavenly host or the angels of Rafael or
Michelangelo. I'm talking about normal, everyday folks like you and
me - but on that day in May, they were angels. Here's the way I
remember it...
Memorial
Day, 1995, I was flying up Interstate 15 heading home after visiting
my Dad in Pahrump, Nevada. It was 5:30 a.m., just on the edge of
sunrise - a pre-dawn twilight - 58?, the windows were down and
I was cruisin' at about 85 mph. I could smell the clean, sharp
scent of sage, pine and deer, a truly beautiful morning - then
everything went to hell. In a matter of seconds I heard a loud pop,
a bang, the check engine light came on, I whipped the car to the
shoulder, slammed on the brakes and shut the engine down. Smoke
poured out from under the hood of my '90 Cutlass Supreme as I
popped the hood latch and got out of the car. My alternator was on
fire - flames shooting out of it. I could see the serpentine belt
had snapped then wrapped itself around the alternator causing it to
seize. I searched frantically for something to put the fire out.
Then I looked down and there at my feet was a full, 2-liter bottle of
7-Up that someone had thrown out of their car during the night
because it was 'flat.' I uncapped the bottle and poured the
contents on the alternator dousing the flames. All of this happened
in 2 minutes or less.
With
the fire out, I took stock of my situation. I had travelled this
stretch of highway many times and figured my location at about
half-way between Pocatello and Idaho Falls in southern Idaho. The
nearest truck stop was at least 30 miles away. There was a house
across the interstate, but no lights on and no vehicles around. A
trucker went by without stopping, and two Idaho State Troopers passed
by on the southbound lanes but didn't turn back to see if I needed
help. Maybe they were in a hurry to get to Dunkin' Donuts! Not
seeing any other options, I started to walk. Before I was out of
sight of my car, I was picked up by some college students from U of
Montana heading back to Missoula. At the truck stop, I called my Dad
and told him what happened. He told me to get back to the car, that
it was drivable without the belt - I just couldn't let it quit.
While still within sight of the truck stop, I caught a ride back to
my car with a family heading to Las Vegas. I was back on the road
and it was just past 7 a.m.
Despite
my best efforts, by 8 a.m., my digital dash was dark. The battery
was wearing down. I had no speedometer, gas gauge, or lights. When
I got to Idaho Falls I decided to top off the gas tank. My car died
at the pump. It was 9 a.m. I went in and called Mom in Great Falls
and told her what happened. While I was talking to her, a man kept
edging closer listening in on our conversation. As I hung up the
phone, he asked if that was my Cutlass Supreme at the pump. I said
it was and told him what had happened. He got a couple of guys to
help him push the car into a parking space away from the pump. I
couldn't believe my luck! He was a General Motors mechanic from
Billings, Montana, had his tools with him, and had been stranded in
Idaho Falls for 3 days without gas money. He assessed the damage and
used his pocket change to call the parts stores. Another surprise!
Nothing was closed for Memorial Day in Idaho Falls. He found the
alternator at one store, the serpentine belt at another one and had
just enough gas to get us there and back. Then he went to work on my
car. Three hours later, I was back on the road and he was able to
head home to Billings. I pulled into my driveway in Great Falls,
Montana at 6 p.m. - just twelve and a half hours after this all
began.
As
I think back on this trip, I realized there were a lot of 'guardian
angels' on I-15 that day. There was the unknown soul who threw the
2-liter bottle of pop out of their car. Without that bottle of pop I
would not have been able to put the fire out. Then there is the fact
that I stopped my car less than a foot from the bottle. You really
have to admit that is a bit strange - 150 miles from the nearest
town of any size and I just happen to stop directly in front of a
2-liter bottle of liquid when I needed it. I often wonder about the
college students who took me to the truck stop, as well as the family
who took me back to my car. The students just happened to be from the
University of Montana on their way back to Missoula and stopped only
because they saw the Montana plate on my car. The family who gave me
a ride back to my car was on their way to Las Vegas - what a
coincidence - not to mention I caught my rides quickly - within
sight of the car and the truck stop. How do you explain the mechanic
at the truck stop in Idaho Falls? He had been there for three days
sleeping at the truck stop and washing dishes for his meals before I
came along. Without him, I would have had to call a tow truck, have
the car worked on at the dealership - spend money I couldn't
afford. The parts for the car cost $214 - $199 for the alternator
and $13 for the serpentine belt and I gave him the last of my cash
money for his work - not nearly enough - but it was enough to get
him back home to Billings. All told, it 'cost' me $264 dollars
to get the car fixed that day - the dealership would have cost
twice that or more. The day before I left Pahrump, Dad and I had
been to the casino at Stateline where I hit a quarter slot machine
for $268 dollars - exactly what I needed to get back on the road.
I
was working as a church secretary at the time so Tuesday morning when
I told my boss about my trip, he got this really strange look on his
face and asked me if I realized how many of God's angels had been
looking out for me that day. Every time I share that story with
others, they all comment on the strange events that took place, and
how lucky I was. I will probably never know why the Idaho State
Troopers didn't stop to help me. I couldn't blame the trucker
for not stopping because there was no way for him to know if I might
hijack his load - anyone could have been hiding behind the car or
in the ditch or in the nearby trees and brush. I could have crossed
the interstate and taken a chance on the house but without lights on
or vehicles, I decided it wasn't worth surprising a 'trigger-happy'
farmer at that time of the morning. I thought about how easy it
would have been for me to become a statistic - one of the many
hitchhikers or women who simply disappear never to be found again. I
could have been the victim of any number of crimes, left for dead in
some ditch in the middle of nowhere. The car wasn't vandalized
while I was hitchhiking to and from the truck stop. It was packed
full, had brand new 80,000 mile Michelin steel-belted radial tires on
it and was still drivable though I didn't know that until after I
talked to Dad. I do a lot of travelling and I am almost always alone
but before that day, I had not considered the risks that I take every
time I do. Now I am much more aware and careful about letting family
know my travel plans and route as well as an approximate arrival time
so they can be watching for me. I also have a cell phone now, but
the chances are in that particular are of the mountains, I might not
have had a signal. In the Bible, Jesus warns 'us' to be mindful
of those we serve because we may be serving angels. I think on that
day in May, my angels were serving me.
Author:
JoAnn - CalicoJT
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