Does AAA mean The Amos and Andy Auto Show?

Last night, I returned Aunt Donna to her retirement complex at 9:30 after having spent a delightful day together. As I drove out of her parking lot, something was definitely wrong with my son's Honda Odyssey I was driving. As I pulled onto the street, I again felt the unusual sensation that the car was not right. At the next entrance, I drove back into the parking lot, then noted that there was a yellow caution light on the dash. I pulled out the manual to see what it could be: low tire pressure. I got out of the car to see if a tire had a visual problem. The driver’s front tire was flat to the rim! I pulled under a street light where no other cars were parked and called AAA. They said it would be 45 minutes before they could get there. First, I awakened my son to tell him I had a flat and would not be back to his house until late. He said he would come help me if I needed him, but I assured him he could go back to sleep as AAA was on their way. I asked him where the spare was and he explained how to get it out. Then I awakened my husband, Grant, 1500 miles away. He wanted me to call him back when it was fixed and again when I reached Greg’s house. I told him I would only call if I had more trouble, because I wanted him to sleep! He was leaving early in the morning to catch a plane to come here.

I did not want to disturb Aunt Donna; she was probably crawling into bed by the time I finished my phone calls. I had no book to read, except the vehicle manual. I looked up how to get the spare tire out, then snoozed until the phone rang at 10:20 to say they were on the way. Shortly before 10:30, I saw a very long flatbed tow truck barreling down the street with its lights flashing. It zipped right past me, plus it was so large that I assumed it was not my rescue vehicle. A minute later, it returned racing past me again. This time, I saw it turn in down the street a ways, and knew that they couldn’t find me. My phone rang. I answered with. “You can’t find me; can you? You have sped past me twice now.” I explained again where I was and they were beside me in seconds.

The passenger jumped out of the cab – a short, nerdy-looking guy with glasses whom I will call Amos. I showed him the tire and told him where to find the spare. He had trouble figuring out how to get into it, so I offered him the manual turned to the right page, which he accepted gratefully. I would have assumed that a tow truck person would know how and where to find the spare in every type of vehicle! Meanwhile, the driver, whom I will dub Andy, appeared – a huge African-American. Greg later told me that there always is a bouncer type of guy on a tow truck team, because their clients usually are in a very bad mood as result of an accident or major malfunction, having their vehicle impounded, or other situation where they might need to be aggressive with a belligerent client. Andy thought the tire looked just fine and that they should try to pump it up. Amos didn’t agree but went along with Andy. Amos tried to attach the air hose and held it in place. Andy said, “You don’t have to hold it. Here,” and showed him how to attach it. Amos was impressed. Andy asked Amos to sit behind the wheel to tell him when the dash light went off indicating the tire was full. I told them that I doubted that would happen, because we had to take my Lexus to the dealership to have them turn off the tire pressure light after adding air. I was envisioning the tire exploding due to these goons. When it was full, Andy asked Amos to drive the car backwards bit by bit so that he could check for the leak. He was sure that it was a slow leak and that it would be fine to drive on, back to Fort Worth – 30 minutes away on the highway. I was becoming a bit uncomfortable with that thought! Fortunately (if that is the right word), the tire flattened again within minutes. Amos told me to the side that he wasn’t going to let Andy send me home with a defective tire on. Then Amos was going to jack up the car, but had difficulty with the jack, so Andy had to do it. I asked, “How long have you two worked together?”
Amos replied, “He’s my brother-in-law! He married my sister. On their wedding day, I kept telling him, ‘Just say I do; just say I do.’”
They switched tires, and Amos couldn’t figure out how to let the jack down without Andy’s help. They finished at 11:00.

I thanked them for their assistance, and they were polite and gracious in their responses. They indicated that I was the nicest client they had had in a long time. Greg had told me the same thing – that their normal client would not treat them with any respect. I was home at 11:30. Grant called as soon as I was home – not happy that I had left him hanging. But I wanted him to sleep!

I am always grateful for God’s benevolent care. The flat happened at the most convenient spot possible, and the entire fiasco was uneventful.