This morning Chris left early to go to his second day of training for his new job. He was headed downtown for the day, and I was planning on sleeping in and getting a bunch of stuff done. I had today off, which is a really rare occurrence, and I really wanted to take advantage of it. I heard Chris leave and fell back asleep.
It felt like a second later that I heard my phone ring. Chris was calling me, pretty freaked out, because his car broke down on the highway. Yep, the car he's had just a few months that replaced
the one that drunk guy ruined... I told him no big deal, he wasn't too far from our house so I'd head out and pick him up. He was able to get his car dropped off at a dealership, and I met him there. We made really amazing time getting into the city, it looked like he might only be ten or fifteen minutes late to his training. We exited off I-90 onto Ohio, and the hotel we needed was just a few blocks away.
I don't often venture into downtown Chicago, I usually make the trek to my sister's house in the Ukrainian Village and we stick to her neighborhood. I get stressed driving in the city anyway, but downtown is just so much busier and more crowded that I usually steer clear. So little did I know that Ohio was completely ripped to shreds. There was one little sign that noted the terrible condition of the road, but for a good six or so blocks there was no indication that the roads were pretty much undriveable. Except, of course, for the manhole covers that were poking up out of the road. They were impossible to swerve around because they were everywhere. I tried to get into the left lane because it was the only one that was paved, but no one would let me in. I was getting ready to merge left to make my turn when BOOM! I hit something. I hit a really high manhole. I drive a VW Bug, it sits about four inches off the ground. This was loud, and I knew it was bad. I made it about forty feet before my oil warning light came on and started beeping. I was so close to the hotel we needed, I just had to get through one intersection and make it to the parking garage.
I pulled into the first spot I saw, got out and looked at the thick trail of oil leading up to my car, and bent down to see the giant puddle that had formed under my car in the seven seconds since we'd parked. I instantly started crying, because that's what I do. Chris went in to tell his boss everything that had happened, and came back to help me figure it out.
We called a tow truck and got it taken into a repair shop a few blocks away. My sister picked me up so Chris could go to his training, and we waited for the call. And then it came: $600. It was gonna take $600 for two hours of labor and a replacement oil pan.
I was just thinking to myself last night that we went through a rough patch a few months back, but that things seemed to be back on track. I guess I got too cocky and the universe needed to put me in check, so it tossed two broken cars into my lap. Chris's car is over double what my repairs cost. We just aren't prepared for something like this, not all in one day. On a day that I was gonna get stuff done, feel accomplished. Nope, that wasn't gonna happen.
So, as you can imagine, this has been an extremely frustrating (and tear-filled) day. We're trying to come up with a game plan for handling these repairs, and part of what I came up with is my Etsy shop. I don't want to beg, and I'm not asking for charity, but if you're interested please take a look at my store and see if you find something you like, and know that it'd really help a girl out. I've listed a few new headbands (including a new color, Georgia Peach!), and I finally got some scarves up! So check it out and feel free to message me with any questions!
Thanks for listening, and to everyone who kept up with me on Twitter this morning, you were so helpful and kind. Thank you.
