Saturday, November 14, 2009

Maybe an angel IS watching over me

In one of my last posts I had mentioned that BFF and I were going on our fourth month of not speaking to each other.

Well, that all changed tonight.

It happened on my way home from dinner with a few girlfriends. I had pulled onto the highway, looked at my dashboard, and realized that all of the lights were out. I started panicking, thinking that if my dash lights were out, so were my headlights. I pulled over and put on the hazards. I adjusted the brightness dial on the dash, and things seemed fine. I went to pull back on the highway...

...and realized my hazards were stuck. I couldn't shut them off.

Now, yesterday, kittens, my car went in for service, and part of the service involved the replacement of one of the dashboard lights. (Insert gratuitous Meatloaf lyrics here). This made me wonder if some other things went wrong when the dash was put back together, causing the hazards to get stuck.

Well, long story short, I pull off the highway, into a gas station, and call AAA. If you have ever called AAA, you know that you can wait forever for help to come. It was 9:30 PM, and I was alone, at a gas station, and just a tad nervous.

I needed company...and I did have a friend who lived ten minutes away.

That friend happened to be BFF.

I put my pride--and whatever bitterness I felt--aside and called his cell. No answer.

I called his landline--no answer. He was out for the night.

I then took my owner's manual out and searched for an 800 number for Kia. I was on the automated line when BFF called back. When I realized I was getting nowhere with the robot voice, I hung up on Kia and called BFF.

I told him about my problem. He was indeed out of town, but stayed on the phone with me as I explained what had happened.

He offered some suggestions to help get my hazards unstuck, one of which was banging on the dashboard with my fist. It worked. I was stunned.

He then advised me to call AAA to cancel the service call, which I did. He then told me to call the dealer on Monday and explain what had happened, especially since the dash had come apart yesterday.

And finally, before I hung up, he asked me to call him when I got home. He added that if he were in town, he'd drive to the gas station to keep me company.

Half an hour later, I got home and called him. He was glad that I got home safely.

The timing of this incident couldn't be stranger--at least to me. Over the last couple of days, I had been really missing BFF. Today was particularly difficult, since I was spending the day with a mutual friend of ours who sees him on a regular basis. I started to feel really sad, wondering when, if, and how BFF and I would reconcile.

Well, tonight my prayer was answered--albeit in a strange way, but it was still an answer.

BFF came through for me. He was there when I needed him.

And that's when I realized what a totally selfish ass I had been. I had read too much into a situation that should not have been read too much into. Which was what led to our not speaking to each other. And I felt awful how much I had let it get to me. I'm sorry if I sound so vague about this, but I don't want to go into details about our fight right now.

Besides, I don't think those details matter anymore. He could have ignored my call. He could have chosen not to call me back.

Dear God, now that I am writing my expression of gratitude, I feel even more like a selfish bitch for letting myself be so upset at him.

The important thing is, he helped me out when I needed it. And even though he wasn't physically present, I felt safer and more secure just hearing him on the other end of the line.

I definitely think we're going to be okay.

Thank you God, and car, for helping me realize this.

5 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Sometimes God uses these types of situations to give us a little nudge.

Even if you never reconcile, you finally took a step. Whether you heal together of apart, you can finally start the process.

septembermom said...

I'm happy that the reconciliation is happening. I hope things continue to work well for you. You deserve it!

Mammatalk said...

Ah, sweet story. Glad you two can repair your friendship.

drollgirl said...

i am so very glad that you gave him a call, and even more glad that he helped you out. it is funny how things work out, and how we keep learning as we go. i know that reads super cheesy, but sometimes it is so true.

p.s. thanks for the tips. my "friend" is feeling a bit better now. :)

Missy B. said...

I loved your story, Kitten. We do have guardian angels looking after us, all of the time. :)