Watch Out For The Other Guy Part Two

"I'll be sure to look out for the other guy when riding with you!" Shawn joked.  We cleared out all my belongings from the car and into Shawn's truck.  The Little Red Rocket car was dead.  Or at least dying.  I wasn't sure yet.

I called my insurance first and the lady I spoke with was so sweet and kind.  She put us through a three-way call with the other driver's insurance so she could help me.  I was even in a rental the next day.  Mom was in town on Friday and went with us to the tow yard so I could take photos.  She was a little freaked out when she saw the car.  The night before she was almost crying.  "If something happened to you right now I couldn't handle it!"  She has a lot on her plate.  Last year she lost a cousin to stomach cancer.  Another cousin has been in the VA, hanging by a thread for weeks with, of course, cancer.  Her brother, her last surviving immediate family, will be moving in with her and Dad as he undergoes chemo therapy and radiation for....you guessed it.  The C Word runs prevalent in our family.  She lost her mother to brain cancer when I was just seven years old.

So you can imagine her heart dropping to her gut when she called and Shawn told her I'd been in (another) car accident.

The issues at hand right now are dealing with getting the shop in order so Shawn can produce a product along with the missing knowledge of whether or not we'll have to deal with car shopping to go along side of this great feat.

The problem I have with all of this is that I didn't intend to smash up my car.  I did not make the mistake.  So why should I have to settle for a used car that I have no idea how it was cared for?  I cared for my vehicle and kept it clean.  I was always diligent about the oil and brakes and fluids.  I had a brand new inspection sticker, a brand new registration sticker and a full tank of gas.  Who is going to pay for a new one?

Why should I settle for an unknown used car when I could have a newish car or my own car?!  The blue book value of my car is $9,100.  Originally we paid $14,000 for the Mazda 3 and as far as I am concerned, the insurance should give me enough to cover the cost of another newish Mazda 3.  But they will not because insurance is nothing more than legalized swindling.  And there's nothing you can do about it.  I paid my insurance premiums.  That other chick paid her insurance premiums AND she was quite capable of driving away.  Why should I be the one to deal with the many hassles and arguings and freaking nightmares that make up the establishment of the dreaded insurance company?

She made the mistake.  She ought to spend an entire weekend at the car lots.  Alight, so now I am simply being bitter.  It's just the worst timing ever!  So I decided to be more positive about it.  If I do have to get another car, perhaps I can get one that has never been smoked in.  The trunk button didn't work and the blinkers stuck anyways.  The driver's side door was leaking and there was a cigarette burn in the seat from Shawn taking the car to school so many nights.

On the other hand, if it is able to be fixed I won't have to deal the dreaded sharks at the car lots.  I hate car salesman almost as much as I hate lawyers.  If it doesn't drive well afterward, we can sell the car later when we the business is steaming ahead and I have more free time.

It appears that I am in a quandary.  Shawn's been trying to be more positive, so will I.
Last night is a good example.  We stopped by the shop and he explained to me a horrible problem withthe electrical.  As he poked around in back, I sat and cried quietly.  Later, in the parking lot of Lowe's, we decided to eat at Wes' Burgers for dinner.  I had a menu at home that said they were open till 10 on Fridays and Saturdays.  It was only 8 o'clock.  I told Shawn if we got there and they were closed, I was going to get out of the car and just completely freak out.

"Right on Main Street, huh?" he asked.
"Yep!" I answered and let out a loud, sinister laugh.  "MWA-HA-HA!"
Of course, when we arrived at Wes' the sign had been changed and now they are only open till 3pm Monday through Friday.  "What kinda hell restaurant closes at three on a Friday?!" I exclaimed.

"Are you ready?" Shawn asked as I pulled onto Third Street.
"For what?" I asked.
Shawn then proceeded to throw a fit like someone having a violent seizure.

Drained emotionally and physically, tired of problems and upsets, I looked at Shawn in the gleam of late night street lamps, and I laughed.
Then we went to a freakin' Arbys!

In short, I am thankful to God that I was not hurt.  Yes, I am irritated that I had just gotten gas and that this just HAD to happen RIGHT NOW and if I had not gotten gas I would have missed that chick by five minuets.  My neck was pretty sore Friday but I told no one.  I figured it would eventually go away and by Saturday morning it was only a little sore.



God was looking out for me and I truly believe all this has been a mere test, along with the 76,925 other tests we'd had the previous two weeks.  God is trying to make me stronger for whatever reason.  And yeah, I do believe we'll laugh about this one day.  One day when the business is rocking and rolling, we'll tell the story of the nightmares and in the midst of all that, Misty got hot by a stop sign runner!  MAW-HA-HA!!!!!

And yet we still prevailed.

I was thinking last night, as I sat on a stool in an empty building, tears running down my face, I am not strong.  After hearing the problems with the electrical, I felt as though the entire world must be against us.  That, and some forces beyond this world.  Perhaps after all is said and done I can look up to the Heavens and say (and mean it) I am strong.



And yes, I did apologize to that chick for my initial reaction.  For those of you that wondered.....