I couldn't make this story up

I'm home... finally. It has been quite a Monday:

I left the apartment this morning and forgot my cellphone. Being Monday morning, I was running through my mental list of all the things I wanted to get done for the week. On top of that, our new Administrative Assistant was starting today so I was thinking about all the small details of getting her started in the office. I discovered the phone was missing about 5-6 blocks away from the apartment. I decided against turning around to retrieve it and continued on. In hindsight, had I returned to pick it up the remainder of the day would have been much different.


Another 1/2 mile down the road I made a left hand turn onto a busy side road. My car began to handle roughly and pull violently to the right. I knew that I had a front tire that went flat almost immediately after making that turn. I traveled a few more blocks down the road before I could safely pull into a gas station to see exactly what was going on. Walking around to the passenger side, I see what remains of my now flat tire smoking from the heat that was generated from traveling those extra few blocks. From what I could see, the tire was in ok condition so I filled it with air and doubled back down the road to the closest auto repair shop I could find. Of course it was closed.

Fortunately, the air held up in the tire long enough to find an automotive shop that was open. They referred me to the guy next door that handles tires. The nice guy let me use the phone (since I didn't have my cellphone) to call the office and let them know what was happening. I also was able to find someone to start getting the new Admin Assistant comfortable and working on the new hire paperwork. Anyway, the mechanic asks me for the key to the locking lug nut on the tire. I look in the hidden console storage where I normally keep it. Not there. I look in the glove box. Not there. It is no where to be found anywhere in the car. As there would have been no reason for me to take it out of the car, I can only imagine that when I had my brakes replaced last summer that the mechanics didn't give me the key back and I forgot to ask for it. Of course, this mechanic can not get the tire off without the key. He fills the tire up with air, I thank him for his gracious help with the phone & air and head off on my way.

I drove back to my apartment. I went upstairs, got my phone, and called the local Ford dealer. If anyone could get that lock off, it had to be the manufacturer of the car. They said to come on down and they would take a look at it. I transfer some money from savings into checking, hop back into the car, stop at two gas stations along the way to keep filling the tire, and get to the Ford dealer. The service manager takes a look at it and tells me the lock is a post consumer add-on and that they couldn't get it off. He's nice enough to fill the tire and directs me to WheelWorks a few blocks down the road.

The sales representative at WheelWorks couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. The wheel rim had some damage and needed to be replaced along with the actual tire. He called a few places to find a used rim that matched my car and ended up saving me a couple hundred dollars for new one. The problem is that he can't actually get it until Tuesday or Wednesday. So, I drive around back, they break the locking lug nut off and put on my spare tire. The plan is to use the spare for maybe a day and a half maximum with very few actual miles. The spare was under-inflated when they mounted it, but they filled it and I was on my way to work.

It was a hectic afternoon, giving a tour to the new employee, helping her through the mountain of paperwork, introducing her to most of her co-workers, and plowing through the average Monday morning weekly stuff. Of course, I'm still tense from the whole tire episode so I'm looking forward to getting back to my apartment to unwind and relax. I get out to my car and find out why the spare was under-inflated, because it's leaking air too and I now have my second flat tire of the day. Fortunately I got a car emergency kit for Christmas and it has an air compressor. I filled the spare, stopped at two gas stations along the way to keep filling the spare, and finally got to my apartment.

So here I am. My spare is slowly leaking downstairs and will be completely flat again tomorrow morning. I'm taking a cab to work Tuesday. When WheelWorks calls to let me know the wheel rim is in, I'll refill the spare tire, stop at two gas stations on the way there, and get things back to semi-normal. I obviously am going to need a new spare and somehow find the manufacturer of the locking lug nuts and purchase a new key. After the day I've had, I doubt I'll ever bitch about an average, run-of-the-mill, crappy Monday again. If you tried to make up a story like this no one would ever believe you.