Roadside Silver Lining
Yesterday, my car broke down again. Nancy (so named because I find her fancy, a reference to Deep Purple's cheeky hit "Knocking At Your Back Door") is considered a reliable model from 2002, but she seems to need another repair every 3 to 6 months. This was another one of those times that the issue made the car instantly immobile; apparently, a strut came out of place (at least, that's what seems to be wrong).
When it happened, my spouse was driving to work (we currently just have Nancy to share, and my spouse drives to work while I work from home) and didn't make it out of our neighborhood. It was close enough to walk to, so I left the house without bothering to change out of my pajamas. From the short distance away, I saw that Nancy had broken down directly next to a couch that had been abandoned on the side of the road, sitting in a shady spot.
So that couch in the shade was where my spouse and I sat and waited for AAA to come (I was absolutely certain the tow back home was close enough to be free, and since my dad says he believes he can fix the car's current issue, I'll let him). I couldn't believe the luck of Nancy ceasing to move directly beside a sofa.
Back in May 2025, Nancy's bearing suddenly broke. My spouse and I were riding together, and the break was so violent we thought we were being hit. We weren't, and my spouse drives so well that the malfunction didn't result in a wreck either. Still, the repair required a mechanic, and it was pretty expensive. But before the tow, there was more trouble: Nancy had broken down close enough to an abandoned lot that we dragged her poor lopsided self onto it and then waited there for AAA, and I stood there long enough to get sickening heat exhaustion and a sunburn with a resulting tan that took over 6 months to fade. I was wearing a shirt with an odd neckline that day. The tan was hilariously noticeable.
Genuinely, I could not get over the conveniently located couch.
My spouse was understandably upset about missing a workday and quickly coordinated alternate transportation for later in the week, but after not long, we were very much just chilling on an outdoor couch. My spouse and I sat there and talked about what we're going to do with Nancy, considered other vehicles, and dreamed a bit about a vacation to take in some future year. I've been reading about trains that have stops in Orlando lately, and apparently there's one that goes to New York City. I've never been there before, and right now, a train ride sounds way more fun than a road trip.
Meanwhile, a few carloads of people drove by and burst into laughter upon spotting us on the sofa (maybe my whoville-esque fluffy pajama pants were also a factor). A guy passing by on a scooter remarked, "And I thought I was having a good Saturday." When the guy from AAA pulled up, he grinned.
Despite it being a stressful few hours, I was pretty relaxed. Nancy's repetitive episodes of falling apart are not ideal, but I've had worse. Nobody was hurt, it was a relatively cool day, we were very close to home (and it looks like the issue will be fixable there), and the couch was comfortable.
When things go wrong, it's nice to not be completely screwed.