Belle the Cat

Monday 2/27/2006 cont.

We continue along the Ohio Turnpike until Maumee, OH, when Donnie calls over the CB, “something’s up.”

I look ahead and think he might be talking about the utility workers pulled over to the side of the road. Then he comes back. “I just lost 5^th gear.”

It was at this point that I break one of my Cardinal Rules of Life - I call someone on a cell phone while driving. Until this trip, I had never even had a cell phone, and if Donnie’s dad hadn’t lent us his Tracfon, I probably still would be cellularless. But it turned out to be quite a useful tool.

“Hi Nor!” I say, “guess what I’m doing? Yes, I am talking on a cell phone while driving. But there’s a reason; we’ve run into a little situation here on the road…” and I explain. Now the reason I call Norah was a.) she was most likely to pickup the phone, and b.) her fiancée knows not just a little bit about cars. All I really wanted to know was should be ditch the car or try to get it fixed? I didn’t want her to waste too much time; we’d make the final decision, but she went beyond the call of duty leaping into gear - calling my dad, her fiancée, other contacts etc, searching the web like a person in one of those OnStar commercials. It was great.

When she called back, she had two opinions for me: “Dad called someone and said that you should stop because you might do more damage - chunks of metal from 5^th gear may be flying around in there and could break the other gears. Brian’s cousin said you should limp it along in 4^th since that’s the strongest gear.” I thanked her and we struggled through the Ohio Turnpike. When we arrive at the end and pay the toll to exit, it was the moment of truth. I hang back near the entrance of the tollbooth with my hazards flashing, just in case we had to push the truck through the toll.

I wait and watch the truck. Break lights. No lights, then break lights again. Then movement. Donnie’s voice over the CB - “All I have left is 4^th.”

I pay my toll and the lady in the booth said, “are you with him? He’s having transmission trouble and he’s pulling off at the next exit.”

I follow and roll into a gas station behind him.

We are now stranded in Edon, Ohio.