Since my history with Honeybee (my yellow beetle,) I've had a flat tyre twice, I've run out of petrol about 5 times (my gauge doesn't work) and about 4 times now she just died on me. Strangely enough it always happens at a robot stop to the great joy of annoyed drivers who have little or no understanding when it comes to beetles. I always put on my emergency lights clearly indicating that I'm having car troubles while they yell "get the hell out of here:"
A woman with a devilish red lipstick screams at me from the car behind. I turn my key, but there is no reaction what so ever. I take a look around, but I don't see any possible helpers. The woman starts hooting. Her rage is on fire. I feel like giving her the finger. She is pushing the wrong buttons. But I give her a friendly gesture saying "my car is dead" instead, and choose to ignore the she-devil in me. I turn the key again, and finally manage to get the attention of two men enjoying their breakfast at an outdoor restaurant patio: The heros of the day.
In contrast to aggressive drivers, passers-by always seem to be friendlier and they are the ones who come to my rescue. Usually, the men are the ones pushing, the women don't bother much, but they like looking.
Safe, half-way on the sidewalk, or on a yellow or red line, I give my thumbs up to the pushers and I praise myself lucky for being a journalist student who always carries a pen: leaving notes like 'this car is parked on a red line cause it stopped working,' 'this car is out of petrol' or just simply 'this car stopped working.' I have a whole collection in my dashboard. However, tonight my collection didn't really help much.
I was on my way to the airport, needed to go back home for a funeral. (Home being Norway by the way.)On the highway, half-way to the airport Honeybee goes into a coma. No light, no sound, no reaction. Great.
The advantage when you have car problems though (yes, it might actually benefit you in some way) is that you learn a lot about how to fix them. When I first got Honeybee, I couldn't name a single part of her engine, but now I know where the coil is, the distributor, the condenser, the points etc. I know how to clear an air blockage in the petrol system and I sure know how to use jumper cables. Once I even fixed the bumper tying it with my lady scarf.
So on the highway, on my way to the airport - I realised that something was wrong with the battery, but since there was no time to play MacGyver, risking to lose my flight, I called a friend of mine to come save me.
He came and luckily I made it in time for my check-in, but as I came to the gate I was told that I was on stand-by for the flight. It was overbooked, and I couldn't help but think 'you got to be kidding me.' For a moment I even felt that gazing up at the sky would be in it's place. Yes, it's in moments like these that I become superstitious - because I'm not really a superstitious person, or at least that's what I like to think. Reading it all as a sign, I backed off rather than persuading any of the other passengers to swap me a seat. I know. I shouldn't really watch movies like final destination. But I mean, first my car breaks down, and then I'm on stand-by. For sure something or someone was trying to keep me from getting on that flight.
So here I am. Back in my apartment writing about car troubles. The plane left without me. Honeybee is lonely in some dark street after my flatmate Tar managed to get her half-way home, and had to walk the rest. And yet, I keep on trying to fix her, spending all my money, because she's such a classic drive and I love the feeling of driving her around on a sunny day. At least she made up for some of the money tonight as KLM gave me a 350 Euro voucher that I use the next time I get a ticket. I got a new flight booked for tomorrow, and I sure hope I'll make it home to Norway in time. One thing is certain though - even if Honeybee get's well tomorrow - she is not taking me to the airport.
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