To leave or not to leave

Is not always an option.

No, I don't want to leave Iowa, if that's what you're thinking. This afternoon I did want to leave the church though. It was earlier than normal and a good thing too! I had started working an hour or so earlier today with breakfast and I was planning to leave about 40 minutes earlier than normal to be at home a bit before heading to the Iowa Mennonite Relief Sale. Except that my car wouldn't start. Duk (named for it's DUK license plate) refused to get going. Any other day I would have been left there all alone, but Theresa was leaving just about the time I was. She, with her 2 year old son Jesse, offered to give me a ride home. I was so thankful!

8 minutes later, as we turned onto my road I said "shoot." Immediately, she asked if I had my key. Oops. My only way to get into the house that I'm living at is the garage door opener and of course I would leave that in my car. Garage door openers are extremely useful in cars, except when you don't have another key or the car. So she agreed to take me back to the church. Double thankful! She is too kind to me! But, so that she could still make it to her daughter Meredith's tee ball game, we would have to swing by Theresa's house to pick up the tee ball stuff and then we'd have to go to Theresa's mother's house to pick up Meredith. Not a problem. I'm thankful that she's willing to drive me anywhere at all!

So as Jesse sang "Old MacDonald" in the back seat, I waited for the tee ball player and tee ball equipment. Then we swung by the church to pick up the garage door opener. Just in case, I tried starting Duk once more. No luck. 8 minutes later and a full hour after I had wanted to leave the church, I was finally at home and able to get in. All thanks to Theresa.

So I set my stuff down and tried to figure out what to do. I called Dave, the pastor, and, surprise, he already knew! Those pastors are so smart! No, actually, he had just gotten off the phone with Theresa. Dave told me two things: one, he's going to pick me up and take me back to the church to try a few things; and two, if Duk doesn't start he'll give me his car. Wow, thanks again!

6 minutes later I'm heading back to the church with Dave and his wife. We talk about cars and Hondas on our way there and I prove my automotive ignorance. Dave has owned Hondas in the past and says he might know what the problem is. Yay! I gave Duk a few more tries and it's definitely not what Dave thought it might be. Bummer. But he hops in and tried his luck with it. Turning the steering wheel, changing the gears, giving it a little gas, he tried a few times. Nope. Duk is dead.

Now what? We talk a bit and he again offers his car to me. I guess I'll be relying on his generosity for a while. Before he climbed out he tried the ignition one more time. Duk started right up. Weird. I asked him what he did and he looked at me slightly surprised. He did nothing. Turns out, Duk likes attention. Maybe it had a little itch in the ignition and Dave finally got it. I don't know, but I drove Duk home.

And tonight Duk got me to and from the Relief Sale just fine. But I will not be taking the ability to leave for granted again! Turns out it's not always an option!