Flat Tire

I thought it was time to tell all my friends how the girl and I met. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny day. I don't remember the date and that doesn't really matter. I decided to go out for a drive in my old Jeep. The sun was bright, the music was energetic. I don't remember the songs; that doesn't really matter. I drove and turned and drove and turned. I don't remember where I was heading, to be honest, that doesn't really matter. Then I realized at some point I did not know where I was. I'm not saying I was lost… just I didn't know where I was going or how to get there. I realized that it had been some time since I had seen some society. You guys know how I hate them cornrows. I'm just saying creepy. Everything was fine because the sun was bright and the music was nice. Except for the fact I was almost out of gas and it just didn't seem like there was a gas station in sight. Not to mention I started to hear a thumping noise. I'm no detective, but I was pretty sure I had a flat tire. I considered driving for a while, but I knew that would be a bad choice on a flat tire and almost out of gas. So I pulled over to the side of a side road and contemplated my options. I'm not sure what road I was on; to be honest, that doesn't really matter.

Getting out of the Jeep, I checked the spare tire. Wouldn't you know it, it was flat. I guess I should have checked it a while ago. So there I am sitting on the side of the road with my flat tire next to my flat tire. Good grief. Out of frustration, I kicked my flat spare tire, which must have had more resistance than I thought because I stumbled backwards into the road. Just at that moment, another Jeep came screeching to a halt. A blue version of my brown Jeep just barely missed hitting me when I fell into the road. I didn't know it then, but that flat spare tire that tried to claim my life actually saved it.

Embarrassed and relieved, I got up from the road and dusted myself off. The driver of the car got out, equally as relieved. She asked me if I knew what in the blue heck I was doing sleeping in the road. I tried to explain about my flat tire and my flat tire. I was getting kind of flustered telling the story. She just smiled and I instantly knew that she was just teasing me. Luckily, driving the same style Jeep, she had a spare that I could use. Well, that was fantastic news. Pulling out her spare, I realized apparently these Jeep spares don't hold air. Now here I am with a flat tire with a flat tire and now a new flat tire. Good grief.

I explained the situation to her, and she just laughed. All of a sudden, all my frustrations melted away. How could anybody be upset or stressed with a giggle that lovely? I'm still thankful today whenever I get to hear that giggle. As we both stood there at the side of the road laughing like fools at the predicament I was in, I realized that she was in no hurry to leave me. I was hoping she would stay with me till the end. She offered to take me wherever I would like to go. I said anywhere you're going, which I realize is a cheesy line, but what do you want from me? She rolled her eyes at me. I asked her if she could take me to town so I could get my tire repaired. She, of course, said yes.

I then began the tire cleanup game on the side of the road. She watched me and made small talk as I fumbled with all the tires. It started to rain a little and the sky grew dark. Neither one of us seemed to mind. We just stood there staring at each other. Clearly, the sparks were not lightning. I'm not sure who knew it first. Out of the blue, it happened suddenly—she fell in love with me. I have never stopped falling in love with her. You could feel the electricity in the air. Okay, some of that was lightning. It was time to get out of there. Throwing one of the tires in the back of her Jeep, we took off towards town.

I don't remember the name of the shop where we got the tire repaired. To be honest, that doesn't matter. I don't remember the name of the pizza place where we had lunch waiting for the tire. To be honest, that doesn't matter either. I don't remember when the rain ceased and the sun came back out, but that doesn't matter. I do remember playing by the water fountain in town. I don't remember what town it was; that doesn't matter either. The only things I really remember deep in my soul about that day are the look in her eyes when she looked at me, the feeling in my soul when I saw that look, and reaching down deep to do anything I could to impress her or to make her giggle. To be honest, I still do that today. We spent that whole afternoon eating pizza, playing in a water fountain, enjoying Dairy Queen, and talking about everything. I don't even think we remembered the tire until the tire shop called us to tell us it was closing.

Now here we were at sunset putting the tire back on my Jeep. Both of us having that feeling that we were ending a summer romance. I asked her where she lived, and she asked where I lived. Neither one of us wanted to tell the other because we were willing to go to them. We smiled and we hugged. We laughed and we kissed. I knew at that moment I would go anywhere she was. After some flirting, joking, and kissing, we finally confessed to each other where we lived. Can you believe it? It was just blocks away from each other in our hometowns. Fate just brought us to that side of that side road with all those flat tires so we could meet. I followed her back to town, my brown Jeep chasing her blue one.

We no longer have those Jeeps. We're not even sure really where we were that day. To be honest, that doesn't matter. We celebrate where we met every time we drive down the side of a side road. No one has ever been so thankful to be out of gas on the side of a side road with two flat tires and almost getting run over by the love of his life. I might not have gotten hit that day, but I certainly got struck by Cupid's arrow.

I remember exactly how I felt that afternoon falling in love with Kathleen, and she still loves me. That's all that matters.