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As far as Caitlyn was concerned, her day couldn’t be any worse. She was still tired from her double shift the day before, and then her betta fish had died overnight for unknown reasons. Then, she had burned her dinner when trying a new recipe and ended up having to heat up leftovers. The stress was giving her a pounding headache, but the Ibuprofen hadn’t kicked in yet. She was over it all and told Ellie she was going for a drive to clear her head.
Caitlyn briefly thought about calling one or both of her parents for comfort but decided against it. She didn’t really want advice or to talk at the moment, and she figured she’d be fine after some time to herself. Maybe she’d even stop for a coffee on the way home to feel more energized.
As she turned a corner, she felt her car hit something hard, which caused it to jolt. In short order, her TPS light came on and the car started to drag. There was no doubt she had a flat tire.
“Well, at least I have a donut,” she sighed, rubbing her head. Her dad had shown her how to change a tire when she was a teenager, and while she was probably going to have to Google the steps to refresh her memory, she was confident she could do the job. She’d have to move quickly, though; light rain had been coming down.
Caitlyn popped the trunk and pulled out the spare tire and equipment she had inside and then grabbed a sweatshirt from the backseat and pulled the hood over her head. A rumble of thunder moved in, and she started to panic.
“All right, all right,” she cried, Googling “how to change a tire.” She found the directions and bent down to start removing the flat. But before she could get the tire all the way off, the rain picked up, and she was getting wet quickly. She tried to see if someone around her looked trustworthy enough to help, but there wasn’t really anyone roaming around and other cars kept driving, even though they slowed to avoid her. No one else probably wanted to get out and help her in the thunderstorm. She decided to keep plugging and got the tire off just as another loud rumble of thunder crashed near the ground.
“Somebody help!” she yelled and looked around her again, only to hear silence. “OK, fine…I have the spare now. I can do this.” But for some reason, she couldn’t get it into place, and she got frustrated and started crying. Now she was almost thoroughly soaked and cold.
“Where am I anyway?” she wondered. She pulled up her phone’s GPS and realized: she was only two blocks from her mom’s home. She didn’t even notice she’d been driving long and far enough to get close by. The key to Janet’s condo was still on her Mercy Hospital keychain, so she could easily let herself in if her mother wasn’t home.
Thank God. She took a minute to collect herself, secured her spare tire, and then slowly started driving the two blocks, keeping her four-ways on the whole time. I hope Mom has a change of clothes, even if it’s just extra scrubs. And…now I’m crossing my fingers I can talk to her too. I always seem to need her just when I think I don’t.
Caitlyn ran to Janet’s door as fast she could with soaking wet clothes. Her headache still wasn’t going away, and now she was out of breath and panicking. Someone she didn’t recognize, probably a neighbor, had stopped her to ask if she was OK. She had waved them off and said she was going to her mother’s condo and would take care of things there.
She knocked on the door enough times for Janet to respond with, “OK, hold on!” Caitlyn couldn’t help but giggle at her mother’s impatient tone.
Janet opened the door and gasped when she saw Caitlyn. “Oh my God…what happened? Are you OK? Come on, get in here. Why didn’t you call me? I’ll get you some towels and a blanket and then we’ll talk. I’ll see what I have for you to change into, too.”
“It can be pajamas or something; I don’t care,” Caitlyn mumbled.
“Well, that’s good. I imagine a lot of my tops and jeans won’t fit you and aren’t your style. So, let’s see what I have in terms of pajamas or something otherwise loose-fitting.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Caitlyn changed into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt Janet gave her and bagged her wet clothes. Then she sat on the blanket that had been put on the couch so it wouldn’t get wet. She started talking while her mom towel dried her hair and combed it out.
“I’m so tired today,” she said. “I worked a double last night. Then my fish died. I decided to try something new for dinner, got distracted, and burned it. It really wasn’t edible. I was frustrated and I told Ellie I was going for a drive. I wasn’t super focused on the road, either—so maybe I shouldn’t have done that, but nobody got hurt—and then I hit a pothole and got a flat tire. Basically, Murphy’s Law turned up to a 10.”
“Oh dear,” Janet ran a hand through Caitlyn’s hair and applied some detangling spray. “Did you call roadside assistance?”
“Dad showed me how to change a tire when I first started driving. I mostly remembered how to do it, but I Googled it just in case, and then the rain and the thunder started coming and I freaked out. I finished up and I just decided to come here. I’m still so cold.”
“All right, well, here’s another blanket to help you get warm. Do you want any tea or soup?”
“I was considering stopping for a coffee, but tea actually sounds good. And...if you don’t mind, can I have a hug?”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Janet laughed and embraced her. “I can handle a little water. And listen, I give you lots of credit for changing a tire on your own, and in this weather no less. I got a flat once and immediately called for assistance.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Your mother, who’s been divorced for many years now and taught herself a lot of fix-it stuff, can’t change a tire. You’re one step ahead of me, and I like to think I’m pretty independent. I hope that makes you feel a little better.”
“It does…but being here is even better.”
“Good. You’re safe and warm now, too. I’ll go make that tea and you can hang out for as long as you want. Just make sure someone else knows where you are.”
“Will do.” Caitlyn took her phone out of her bag and texted Ellie to let her know what happened and that she was with her mom. Then, she looked forward to some warm tea and mother-daughter bonding.