Drama

As a mostly sane adult, I avoid unnecessary drama, I plan for emergencies, we buy insurance and plan for the future. So we were horrified today when the gas light came on, indicating we were about to run out of gas.

Allow me to rewind and fill in the background. It is snowing. Predictions are anywhere between 1-13 inches are expected sometime today. Hint of reality- we already have 3 and it is still falling. We decided it was necessary to go to the store and pick up essentials like dog food. I called my folks, got their list. We cleaned off the car, joked about finally getting to use my snowblower that I got for Christmas.

We took the first turn in our neighborhood, skid a bit and decided that the closest store would have to do. No scooters were available, so Shawn sat on the bench while I shopped. We got everything, loaded up, cleaned off the fresh snow and headed to my parents house. We engaged the 4 wheel drive knowing it gave us an extra margin of safety. We dodged the plows making their first and second passes. No trouble and we delivered the groceries and visited for a short time before heading back.

On our way back, headed home, we were cautiously making our way when the gas gauge suddenly dropped from a quarter to empty. The warning light flashed and we looked around at the empty fields all around us. We continued on, crossing our fingers, hoping to make it to town.

Did we hit something and puncture our tank? Did the shift to 4 wheel drive mean that we had used all that gas? We couldn’t stop, we drove on wondering if going to our house where we have 5 gallons of gas in the garage was closer than the gas station. In the end, we decided the station was our best bet.

We pulled in, no gasp or wheeze from the car and Shawn filled it. To our amazement it only took 10 gallons. The gauge was broken. Our car had just added unnecessary drama to our day.