Car Starting Trick

Of course, the abominable timing of the delayed chemo means I have to be at work for the student worker reconnection event not at the top of my game. My circulation supervisor is out on medical leave, and the date of this afternoon of review and welcome back is carved in stone. I wake feeling tired but OK, and I do absolutely nothing until I have to be at the library.

The event goes well and I finally meet the newer students with whom I have not yet intersected. We update them on changes in policy and procedure, remind them about how to do certain things that can be a bit tricky, and give them time to get to know each other since they will depend on each other to cover shifts when a sub is needed. We wrap up with a quick trial run of our open house game Libraryopoly, then gather for pizza and snacks. I am OK despite the recent chemo.

But I do not linger. I head for the car as soon as I can, leaving the clean up in others' capable hands. I turn the key. A few seconds of grinding noise, but the car does not start. I try again. Still no luck. Rats. I call AAA and they will send a truck. I know its not the battery because everything else works. I sit waiting, wishing I could just go home, starting to feel worn and weary. Then I get a call from AAA. They tell me to turn the key to the "On" position, wait ten minutes, and try again. Seems strange, but it sure couldn't hurt.

Just as the truck calls to tell me they are almost at my location, the ten minutes is up. I turn the key. Vroooom. Huh! AAA calls back to check my progress and I tell her the trick worked! How did she know? She encounters this often. There is an antitheft component for this car that sometimes goes awry. She will not count the call as one of my services. Just then the truck appears, and I explain. He scratches his head, and writes it down. He never heard of such a thing either. Live and learn.

Right now, I just want to go home and lie down. And thankfully, I can now get there.