What A Finish!

Today was one of those days that being at work took all of my energy. All I wanted to do all day was go home. It's been a busy week and by today, I was feeling really tired. So instead of exercising at lunchtime, which is the usual activity, a couple of co-workers and I ventured out of the office to try a restaurant in the nearby neighborhood.

The goal was to try a place that has painted on the front of the building "The way to eat to live", "All Natural" "Organic Salads" "Tofu Burgers" and "Veggie Burgers". It shares wall space with Charlie's Las Palma's Burrito Shop on the corner of Mac Arthur and Seminary. Unfortunately, no organics at Charlie's. My assumption is that back in the day that Charlie's was once a Black Muslim Bakery and the building owner simply never re-painted the outside of the store. Oh, well. We found our way to Razzo's instead. I had a Caesar Salad atop flatbread. Yum.

Apparently while we ventured out of the office, my car's running lights got turned on. I learned this at 5 minutes after 5. 35 minutes later than I should have left the office and only 25 minutes before I needed to be 15 miles away, through rush hour traffic, picking up Twig from school.

Thank goodness, I thought, when I saw two women in the car parked right next to mine.

"Excuse me, could you give me a jump?"

"Well, I don't have any cables."

"I've got some."

"Uhh, well, I don't know how to do that."

"I do, I've done it several times."

"Umm, well, no I just don't want to. Ask the security officers."

"The security officers have a golf cart, they're not going to give me a jump and I've got to pick my kid up in 20 minutes."

I get back into the car and turn the key wishfully thinking it was all a mistake. When it doesn't work, I think "Okay, I walked downstairs with a co-worker. I 'll flag her down and ask her for a Jump." She drives past because I can't run fast enough in my heels and scream loud enough over the buses on the street and cars in the parking lot to get her attention.

"FFFFFUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!"

Wood is working late again tonight and since he's across the Bay Bridge, he's not a viable option to solving my dilemma. The fabulous AAA service is going to take too long. Fuck it, I'll push the car and pop the clutch. By this time the security guard is asking me if I'm okay. "No, I need to pick up my kid and these ladies won't give me a jump. But hey, could you help me push it so I can try and pop the clutch?"

We push, we get her going, I jump in and pop the clutch a couple of times but both times she flatly refuses. As I get out the security guard asks me if I want to push it back into the parking spot. "No" I say, almost as flatly as Dhammadina refused to start. I'm starting to panic because I need to get to my kid.

Just then, a woman that works in my building stood still in the parking lot just long enough... "Excuse me, could you please give me a jump? I've got cables." "Sure." she says.

I pull out the cables and set them up on Dhammadina's battery. The woman pulls up in a brand new Mercedes. It's so new that I don't know how to open the hood. It's so new that when she opens the hood, the engine doesn't look to me like an engine. It's much too clean. And then I couldn't find the battery. Thank goodness she was there to lead the way to the battery.

Then however, I was on my own. She and the security guard stood back and watched me do my magic in all of 30 seconds. As I walked back to take the jumper cables off of the Mercedes, I heard them talk about having never done that before. "If you're going to drive a beater like this (pointing to Dhammadina) you've got to know how to use these (pointing to the cables)."

Whew, it's only 5:20. As I drive through out of the parking lot toward the freeway, I look at the gas meter. Empty. Not close to empty. Below the empty line. Shit, If I don't get gas, I'll surely run out on the freeway.

Just across the street from Charlie's Las Palmas, at the corner of MacArthur and Seminary, I stop for gas. I Pump $20 bucks as fast as I can and hop back in the car. She refuses to start at the turn of the key. For a second I don't understand - I just can't believe it I think "What the Fuck?" And then a second later, I remember what happened only a few short minutes ago in the parking lot at work.

I quickly scan my surroundings. It's busier than at lunchtime. It's Friday afternoon and Young East City thugs are already starting to look for action. It only takes two seconds to realize that I can't stay here long without being a target. Not only am I blocking a gas pump, I'm not from this neighborhood. Unlike where Dhammadina broke down last week (only a few short blocks away), I can not stay in my car, pretend to blend in, and be safe.

Wood answers the phone and simultaneously the thug from the car on the other side of the gas pump median strip walks toward my car and says "What Up, Bitch?" I talk on the phone and pay attention to his whereabouts without giving him any direct attention. I imagine getting out of my car and using some kick boxing moves on him. I see in my minds eye how my elbow meets his nose and how he falls to the ground, unable to move. When he turns his back to my car, I roll up the window. He sits on the large flower pot on the median strip and stares at me as I talk on the phone explaining my predicament to Wood.

Try as I may, I can't hold back all of the tears. Two slip out and the thug can see my distress. He starts laughing. Just then the Gas Station Operator comes out of the store and yells "Move your car, this isn't a parking lot!". The thug and his friend drive away. Wood and I hang up.

I scan my surroundings again and wonder what the hell I'm going to do. There is pretty much only the AAA option at this point. But that's going to take a long time and the neighborhood isn't feeling terribly forgiving at the moment. I don't feel safe and I don't want to wait. Without thinking too much I put my fearless self on. I get out of the car and ask the old man in a large white Cadillac who had been waiting behind the thug to give me a jump.

At first he says he doesn't have Jumper cables. But the young woman next to him agrees to help when I explain that I have cables and know how to use them. He moves his car, and the young woman gets out. "He's my grandfather." she says. "We're on our way back from Dialysis." She rubs her belly. "Here, I'll do it. He thinks you don't know how." I giggle, tell her about the fact that I've driven "beaters" all of my life, and have had to learn how in the hopes that it allays some of the discomfort... "Are you pregnant?" I ask. She looks at me, slightly perplexed but pleased. She's due in March, 2008 she says. "Congratulations!" I say. Again, she seems surprised but genuinely warmed by the expression. "My son is 22 years old." "Wow, you're doing it again!?!" I say. "You know this is all the work of God." as she rubs her belly. Yes, it is, I think, remembering everyone I've come into contact with this afternoon.

"Thank you!" I say and I wave to them both as I drive away. The old man throws me the Peace Sign. I instantaneously feel blessed to have been in their company and to be on my way.



p.s. Dhammadina is our 15 year old two door hatchback that has 225,000 Miles on her. She was named after successfully making a 15 mile drive on a dirt road to Tassajara Zen Center several years ago. We LOVE her.