Sandy Supposes....

Stubborness

Prompt:Tell us about a time where you intentionally made something harder on yourself to do... be it a task, a project, or even an interaction with someone (if applicable). What made you do it, and how did you get through it?

         DAMN! I was well into writing my response to this prompt on my finicky tablet when everything I had cooed disappeared. Insert suitable curse words here and here, and some more for good measure. ARGH!!! HAHA, I intended 'composed ' not 'cooed"! Oh this is beyond frustrating.

          I had described the scene: an evening of torrential rain with pummeling winds in a lonely, deserted university
campus parking lot. I was alone and stranded with my car, a huge Oldsmobile and it's flat tire. I had willfully chosen to park in the little - used lot because I wanted to stretch my legs. This was in my pre-cellphone days, and a pay phone was not convenient. Oh, did I mention I was a know-it-all teenager? I suppose not since I'm rewriting this. Oh, did I forget to explain that I'm the daughter of a diesel mechanic and taught to handle minor vehicle emergencies myself? This re-telling will not be as descriptive. Anyway, I thought I could handle anything, but more likely I just hoped I'd never be forced to do so. I was cocky and confident; nothing bad would dare happen to me. On that stormy night, I learned that shit happens whether you expect it or not....

         Wrestling the spare tire out of the cavernous trunk was a wee bit taxing, but manageable . The jack and tire iron weren't hiding, so I was prepared in theory to change my first car tire. No, no, this was to be my first solo attempt to change a tire.

         Theory and practical application are two very different animals. I soon discovered that the lug nuts were more than reluctant to relinquish their grip. I tugged. I threatened. I coaxed. I pleaded. I was stubborn, but those lug nuts were worse. Did I mention I wasn't dressed for this inclement weather? Anyway, I struggled, time passed.

         Eventually, I noticed my father sitting in the dry cab of his truck watching me. Relief and gratitude flooded through me. My Dad had come to rescue me. He made it clear that my mother had sent him to search for me. He wasn't convinced that I needed rescuing, but finally he joined me in the pouring rain. He was forced to use his considerable size and weight to loosen those nuts. He jumped up and down on the jack several times. Replacing the tire seemed so effortless after this and we were soon on our way back home. After the much needed fortification of a hot beverage or two, my white knight realized that the lug nuts had been tightened by an air driven impact gun. Stubbornness and know- how would never have been enough.