By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger
Our home is heated by a woodstove. It keeps our home so warm and toasty except when dad opens the front door to bring in more wood. After dad buttons his coat up to his chin, he holds his breath as he opens the door to the North Pole. Brrrr! That icy gust of arctic air seems to come in and greet me every time.
We once had an old truck, but it was stolen from our driveway. We still have no idea what happened to it or any clues who decided to borrow it. Being without a truck is not a good thing. A truck is great for hauling things such as firewood, walnuts, lumber, and many other big things. Since we don't have a truck, we have to buy firewood from someone that is willing to deliver it to us. I can tell you many funny and frustrating stories about trying to get wood delivered, but I will save that for another time. Just believe me it isn't the best situation to be in.
My dad has been looking for a truck for quite a while now, but buying a vehicle isn't as easy as you might think.
Recently, we had an exciting experience while looking at a truck for sale. My dad saw a listing for an affordable truck that was about 30 miles away. So, he made an appointment and off we went. But when we arrived, the owner was jumpstarting it.
First red flag!
My mom and I watched as Dad helped the man to get the truck started. It seemed to take a really long time, but soon it was started. So, off we went on our test drive.
The interior was pretty rough. The ceiling was ripped, and those handle things that are next to the doors were broken and hanging down by our heads. My dad couldn't figure out how to put on the seatbelt since there was NO buckle. There was a crack that ran across the entire length of the windshield.
As Dad and I were coming back from the test drive, the truck died. He tried to restart it, but the truck had no power at all.
Second red flag!
Did I mention that a state trooper was parked at the exact same location? Here we were in a truck that wasn’t ours. It didn’t even have any license plates. As my dad explained the situation, the policeman was very nice. He waited with us as my dad contacted the owner. Once the owner arrived, he and the officer had a big conversation as they both tried to get the truck started. As they messed with the truck a strange thing happened. The driver’s seat began to move forward and started to recline all by itself. Dad was being pinned between the seat and steering wheel. He let out a yell and quickly jumped out of the truck, leaving me alone inside to fend for myself. After readjusting the power seat, he climbed back inside. But as soon as he sat down, it happened again. The truck seemed to have a mind of its own. It was like the Stephen King movie, “Christine.”
Third red flag!
After what seemed like hours, the truck started again. As the truck got closer to the owner’s house, it died again. This time my dad was able to let it coast back into the man’s driveway. It was quite the struggle because it did not have any power. Or maybe it didn't want to go back to the owner.
As my dad got out of the truck the man asked, “Well, what did you think?”
My dad said, “I’ll let you know.”
Like the old saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” this adventure demonstrated this perfectly. Life isn’t all butterflies and roses. Life challenges us mentally and emotionally. But if you rise above this thing that we call Life, you can do anything!
This is Life with Kyle and I will talk to you next week.
Life with Kyle - blog, lemons, Kyle