Back In the Saddle Again
Three weeks ago I was rear-ended on the freeway because some 16-year-old idiot fell asleep at the wheel. You know how I know that? Because he told the Officer Hottie that during questioning and let’s be honest, if you were going to lie, you should have said something less stupid.
After the kid got squared away, the cops let him drive away in his little pick up truck because it was leaking fluids. I on the other hand had to hang out in the light drizzle at 5:30pm at night waiting for my mother-in-law to come pick me up. I was lucky to have four extremely good looking CHP officers attend to my accident. They were really nice and kept giving me and my mother-in-law updates on the status of the tow truck while we waiting in the warmth of her car.
After my car got towed away, I went home to shower and then Ryan and I got in his car so we could head to LAX because we were taking a red-eye that night to Boston. The accident probably couldn’t have come at a worse time, but it ended up not being that much of a hassle. While I was away, my insurance company got the car moved to an auto body shop and all the parts were ordered by the time I got back to town.
Then I got a rental car situated as well as confirmation that the other guy’s insurance was going to pay for the rental and the repairs. The auto body shop said my car would be fixed by February 26th. Yesterday, which is February 11th by the way, the fix-it guys called and said my car was done. I was shocked! I’ve had many accidents in my lifetime and have always had to wait at least a month to get it completely fixed and back in my hands.
Not only did they fix the damage to the rear bumper and trunk, but I also had them re-paint the key-marks on the left side of the car. For those of you who do not know, I had my car vandalized and I believe it was a case of mistaken identity because the make/model/color of my car is kind of popular. And let’s be honest, who could really hate me enough to key my car? The vandalism was nasty too, a long continuous scratch that started above the front left wheel and went the length of the car to the gas tank.
After the repairs were done, the key mark is non-existent and the car has never felt this good to drive. Maybe it is because for the past few weeks I’ve been driving a rental Hyundai Sonata. Don’t get me wrong, this was one of the nicest rentals I ever had (and I’ve had a number of rentals in my lifetime). It only had 400 miles on it and still smelled brand new. It also came with XM radio (which had a dedicated Elvis station–I know, right???!!!) and adapters for my iPod (which I did not discover until the day I turned the car in–oh well!).
But I was happy to turn it in and have Enterprise drive me to the auto body shop to pick up my car, which looked brand new! My car is a Nissan Maxima and drives a whole lot nicer than a Hyundai Sonata. It is heavier and faster and looks sharper too. I took some time to get all my effects back where they belonged in the car and then enjoyed my ride home in my newly fixed car, which now smells like my Dad after a long day’s work in the shop.
