What could possible go wrong when the glass is empty? Perhaps a person could end up running out of gas on their car, because he or she forgot to fill up the tank. Or perhaps someone’s dog left something on my yard. Or maybe the computer completely broke down, and I lost the information I had on it. Then, there’s the additional burden of having to invest money in another computer. There were times when my computer completely shut down, because updates were being installed, resulting in my losing a piece of writing I hadn’t had time to save on my computer.
I haven’t had the experience where my car would run out of gas, but I did have an experience many years ago where I drove to a mall at night, during the winter time. I had gone shopping at one of our local malls. It was cold, but no snow, just very cold out.
Upon arriving to the mall, I walked inside, trying to decide which store I wanted to visit first. I decided to go to one of the clothing stores where I purchased some jeans and some shirts.
Next, I went into one of the boutiques where I purchased some costume jewelry, and some hair accessories. There were so many beautiful pieces to choose from. There was one containing some simulated diamonds, one another one consisting of a satin bow attached to a barrette.
While I examined the hair pieces, an employee approached me, asking, “May I help you find something?”
“I’m still trying to decide which one I want from these two hair pieces,” I said, paying more attention to the hair accessories, then to the sales person.
“Perhaps I can help you make your selection,” she suggested, while removing three others from the racks to show me. They consisted of a gold plated barrette with beautiful engravings on it, a knitted headband, and a silk blue scarf one could fold up to tie the hair back.
Upon showing the selections to me, I decided to purchase the pieces I already had in my hands.
By the time I got out of the mall, it was dark outside. Although the lights were on in the parking, I could barely make out my own car. Once finding it, I got in, put on my seatbelt, and attempted to start up the engine. It wouldn’t start. I couldn’t go for help, because the mall had already closed. I had no cell phone back then. I was stranded. When panic started to set in, I told myself aloud, “Don’t panic. Take a few deep breaths. Remain calm. Remember, the doors are locked. So, you’ll be safe in your car. Starts turning on the ignition gently and lightly pump the break. Keep in mind what your brother told you when this happened before. This time no one is here to help you. But you have to remain calm. I also advise you to pray you get it started. A prayer couldn’t hurt at a time like this,” while trying to turn on the ignition.
Soon, I was in tears, because no matter what I did, the car wouldn’t stop. I was stranded. It was cold. There was no heat, because I needed to start up my car if I was to be able to turn on the heat. I the computer system in my car was in excellent working condition, because it had just been replaced.
“The engine could be flooded,” I said told myself, and gently applied pressure to the breaks while attempting to turn on the ignition once more.
With a little patience, effort, and prayer, the car finally started.
I was overcome with emotion, as relief set in.
Turning on my headlights, I back out of the parking space, and headed home.
The biggest lesson I learned was no matter how bad a situation gets, I’d somehow find a way to resolve the problem.
© Copyright, Kiki Stamatiou, 2015
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