The thread on the perils of being towed reminds me that occasionally we
meet decent people. I work in a small town about 50 miles north of here.
Last week it was quite foggy in the AM so I switched my headlights on
for the drive; unfortunately, I forgot to turn them back off when I
parked and naturally, drained my battery.
It's 6:00 pm on a Friday in small town Iowa and the usual businesses are
closed, I can't get ahold of anyone I know in the area to jump start me,
and the closest place that will give me a jump start is 20 miles and
$60.00 away. I called a local car lot (out of desperation) to see if
their service shop could help, but they had left for the day. The office
manager, though, sent over a guy with a 'jump box' who got me going.
Refused to accept anything for his trouble, too. I sent a couple of
pizzas over on Monday as a thank you.
As to anti-theft devices, my sister and her family used to own a large
and friendly (if you knew him) boxer that loved to go for rides in Molly.
Bruno was quite well behaved, and would lie quietly in the area behind
the seats when the car was parked (yes, it was a tight fit for him); when
moving, he would sit sideways in the same place with his head parked on
top of the passenger headrest, jowls flapping in the breeze.
I had stopped at a convenience store and foolishly left my billfold lying
on the tranny tunnel, which I discovered when I went to pay for my soda.
As I left the store to fetch it, I noticed some juvenile delinquent
wannabees approaching the car with the evident intent of running off with
the wallet. As wannabee number one started to lean into Molly, Bruno
popped his head between the seats, stuck his muzzle in the wannabee's
face, and let out a very deep and rumbling 'AWWOOOOOF!'
The wannabee smacked his head into the edge of the vent window as he
backpedaled fuiously, and set what I am sure is a new world record in the
Getting the Hell Outta There event. Bruno looked around (I swear he was
grinning) and then lay back down. I think the wannabee wet his pants --
I know I almost did from laughing, as did a little old guy who had pulled
up next to the car as the kid leaned in.
I paid for the soda and then Bruno and I went to McDonalds where I
treated him to a double cheeseburger. Took a while to wash all the doggy
drool off the headrest, though.
Rich
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