Story 16: An Unromantic Moonlight Drive

When my brother and I were in college at SUNY in the late 1980’s we had a white Toyota Corolla. I don’t even remember doing any maintenance on the car not even oil changes, and yet it still ran.  After college Bruce and I sold it to a few guys from the Bronx who drove it away even without working brakes.  They bravely used the hand brake to stop the car.

Another time, Bruce and I were driving back to school, and noticed a dashboard warning light indicating a low battery. The bad news was that we were between exits, and if you have ever driven on the NYS thruway at night you know that there are often no lights, and its a long way between exits, sometimes over twenty miles.

“Shit, Bruce, What are we going to do?” I asked.

“Just hang in there” He said.

Fortunately we managed to get to the rest area and were able to recharge the battery initially.

“What now?” I asked Bruce.

“We can totally make it to the next exit.” Bruce replied confidently.

“OK.” I said but I was far from convinced.

So off we went in the Corolla, but by the time we departed it was pitch black outside. We assumed that car’s battery was faulty but we would later learn that the alternator, which charges the battery, was starting to give out. To make matters worse, this was before cell phones, and I am not sure if we had AAA either.

We gunned the car and started driving North while the music of the rock band Eagles played loudly in the car.  After five miles, history repeated itself, the check battery light went on again only this time, our lights did the opposite.  They started to get dimmer and dimmer, until eventually then went out completely.  The only thing going for us was a full moon and we had a small flashlight, more like a pen light, and the knowledge that the car would probably not stop completely unless we stopped moving.

Bruce, what are we going to do?” I stammered.

Bruce drove the car with determination and replied, 
   “Shine the flashlight out the back window so cars don’t plow into us.”

And that’s what we did. As luck would have it, if you could call it that, it wasn’t raining, and then suddenly out of nowhere real fortune showed itself. A good samaritan drove behind us slowly illuminating our way, and more importantly protected us from a potential collision.

Thankfully we made it to the next exit, got to a motel where we received the truckers special rate.  In the morning, after a “continental breakfast” of donuts, we had the alternator repaired, and happily made it up to college without any other delays.

Life Lesson 16: Someone once said that its important to remember the 5 P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.  I think its important to always have the essentials: phone, gas, oil, etc, and to keep your vehicle well maintained. because these small things could save you a lot of headaches down the road, so to speak.