To Error is Human

A number of years ago I owned this great 1970 something land yacht I called Thor. Thor was this gigantic Grand Marquee, sun roof, huge bucket seats and battleship gray. The boat cost me 500.00. I would pass Thor everyday going back and forth to my bus stop—I think the year was about 1990. I had just been through a divorce where I had lost my other vehicle and I had been vehicle free for almost a year. Long story short I had saved up enough money to purchase Thor by the end of the summer. Everything work on the beast, the moon roof, the seats and even the radio. I got a friend to jam the hand controls into the beast and I was off. I loved that vehicle.

But the story of Thor is not what this post is about. PepBoys, the car repair store is what this post is about. I drove Thor for about three years. I knew the vehicle was old but well worth the financial in put to keep the beast of the road. I cannot remember what happened one Saturday but I ended up having to take Thor to the closest repair joint in my neighborhood. It was Pepboys. The had opened in the neighborhood earlier in the year. I was suspect but I was also desperate for a mechanic’s touch on my faithful steed. I saddled up and rolled. A couple of hours later I got a phone call from the shop. They just could not fix the beast so how did I want to dispose of the car? I could not justify to dump a lot of money into it and I could not justify towing him home where I knew Thor would become a monument to my indecision. The manager also informed me that one of his mechanics had said he would by the monster for $500.00. More suspect then ever I took the money and rolled. I felt sure the mechanic would do what he could for the guzzler. I saw Thor time to time afterward, raising a lump in my throat when he would cruise by—I tried not to be bitter but I avoided Pepboys from then on. I was/and still almost am sure that they sucker-punched me into selling the car. I still miss Thor on hot summer evenings burning down the road with the roof open and radio blasting.

Today, I was running errands I had to stop at Shopko which right next Pepboys. I have a 6 point power seat I drive from. I transfer out of my wheelchair into power seat which raise and lowers, move back and forward on a track and also spins round from the forward position to make transferring easier. I had just moved the seat back when the seat stopped moving. I was stuck. Luckily I was near enough to my wheelchair I could make the lift. I figured I would go to the store then worry about the van.

When I got back to the van I looked for some tools but of course had non. I was hoping for a flat ended jack handle. I thought I knew what ailed the seat. I had lost power in the seat before and had tinkered with the switches on the side of the seat and have got them going again. But, not to day, the seat sat there dead. Racked my brain for options non came then I saw Pepboys, almost mocking me from the a joining parking lot. It had been over ten years since I lost Thor maybe it was time to let him go…besides was desperate.

Sunday’s are a slow for places like Pepboys. There was but one assistant manager on duty and two other staff with no cars on the bays I was hopeful. I explained my situation explaining that if I had a pry bar I think I could get the power seat operational enough to get home. The guy who went with me suggested that he drive my vehicle back to the shop where he could address problems with better tools. Made sense to me. The lad fixed the seat, or got it operational. A wire got caught in the seat gears and heated up(his words) after he got the pressure off the seat the wire cooled down the seat worked. The wires still needed to be addressed so the problem would not happen again. I will take the van into my regular lift mechanic for this or take the van over to my brother’s if he an find some time. My brother always does the best work. The would not let me pay for the work they had done-which is always OK with me. So, now Pepboys does not look so bad. Maybe I am ready to trust again. To error is human but to forgive is .