Tribute to Lightning McQueen

    I was only joking when I said 'who needs cars?'! I have quite a story to share, but next time don't take me seriously! Last Tuesday night, after I tutored for five hours (though not many students came, so it wasn't a particularly successful day), I got in my car to go pick up dinner at Taco Bell, all the time thinking that today was going to be just like any other day. "Little did I know" (those ominous words from Stranger Than Fiction) that my life would be turned upside-down. Slight exaggeration, but nevertheless, it did cause some irritating complications to my life.

The last picture I will ever have of Lightning McQueen...

   [If the following account contains more detail than you would ever wish to know, keep in mind that I need to remember the events accurately for when I go to court] I was driving in the right lane, thinking about the delicious double decker taco I would have for dinner and groceries I needed to get for the rest of the week before Spring Break, when suddenly I get slammed by another car in the middle of an intersection. Totally unprepared. However, I did not black out, so I could easily see that the light in the middle of the intersection was bright green. It took me a minute to gather my wits, realize what happened, and put my car into park. I was a little worried at first that there was a fire, because the air was reeking with a foul stench due to the airbag being deployed. That was really what made me abandon my car in a hurry. Then I noticed who was in the other car; four guys. They were probably my age or younger. By God's grace, no one was hurt and the guy driving the other car could not stop apologizing. I just tried to joke around with them in order to while away the time, since the police came and collected our car registration and license for inspection. It was around that time that I realized my glasses were missing because they flew off during the collision. However, I found them perfectly intact on the floor of the driver's seat. The weather was wet, cold, and dark (being around 9:45pm), so we were left to stand around in the cold while we waited for the police to finish up. The guy who hit me had failed to yield at a left turn. Even though it was his mistake, I feel pretty bad for him, because this may cost him a lot. I'm sure the weather had some effect on his driving and visibility too. Well, when the policeman finally gave us back our registration papers and licenses along with a copy of his accident report, the towtruck had arrived to removed our cars. I watched, with saddened eyes, as my car was connected to the towtruck to be taken away. The driver of the towtruck gave me a ride back to my apartment where I made sure I got everything out of the car.

    Now, I must have a proper fair-well for my car. My car was named Lightning McQueen by my little brother because his favorite movie for years was Cars. Thus, all the cars my family owned were characters out of the movie and since mine was red it became the main character. It had a few quirks that gave it personality. Of course, I am probably the only person who loved these quirks...but then again, I'm a rather strange duck. Quirk #1: CD player was broken, Quirk #2: Radio was broken, Quirk #3: Backseat window on the left was broken and had to be closed manually, Quirk #4: Driver side window had it's own issues opening and closing so it was well on its way to being broken,  Quirk #5: Car keys automatic locking, unlocking, and opening the trunk was broken, Quirk #6: Car keys could only manually unlock driver side door (thus, there was only one way to unlock my car). Yeah, it was quite a nice car and I will miss it, but life must go on. 

The Rental

    After the accident I was a bit dazed, but I was determined to do my grocery shopping and have dinner. So, I called my friend to see if she could give me a ride to Kroger so I could still buy what I needed for the week. Well, we went to Kroger and did some quick shopping, but when we left I forgot my cellphone. Considering all the insurance business I would need to take care of, it was crucial to have my cellphone at hand, so I had my friend drive back to Kroger to pick it up. The next day I ended up walking all over the place. The main things I ended up accomplishing was going to the campus health center to make sure I was okay from the accident and to have dinner with my cousin who I have not seen since Christmas. I also gave my statement to the other guy's insurance company so they might start the process of paying for a rental car for me while I wait for a decision to be made about my car. Now we come to today. Today I finally settled the insurance stuff and was able to check out a rental car. It's such a nice car that I will be sad to part with it when I have to return it, but I will now be able to drive home for Spring Break as I had planned. 

That's enough for now, but stay tuned and you just might find out how I will be able to return to college after I have returned the rental and have no car!