Strange Car Karma

After driving 20 hours, I reached Seattle, briefly collapsed, did the laundry, flew back to Oakland for a memorial service, returned home and wanted to crawl under a rock. Instead I took care of my car, which needed new tires, an alignment and a headlamp bulb. $800 later, I had a perfect vehicle – for 5 minutes. Something looked odd. I realized with horror that the front end was dented, the hood didn’t close and the bumper was askew. How and where did this happen, was my state of mind so fuzzy that I hit my car on the Interstate and didn’t remember it? I narrowed it down to the most recent repair, stormed into Les Schwab Tires and tried not to appear insane.

Much to my amazement, the store had security camera footage showing my pristine car, until it went into the parking lot while I was paying my bill. And there, captured in crystal clear video, was a white pickup truck backing into my car, then taking off with a macho squeal. The managers whooped in delight. It was like a CSI scene, we should have had popcorn. The asshole who did the hit and run was busted: I had his name, license plate, and service records (no HIPAA privacy concerns in the auto repair world). He was driving a company truck, rushed in for a flat tire fix, and then ruined my day. His employer contacted me immediately, took all responsibility and is paying the $3800 bill. Yes, that’s what it costs to mess up a Subaru.

Tony’s Auto Body shop down the street is now doing “teardown,” a terrible yet descriptive term. They’re also fixing a big dent that has nothing to do with this episode - as long as the car is being ripped up, why not (I’m paying for the extra labor). I’m driving a rental SUV; Enterprise made sure my kayak and bike would fit inside. I spent yesterday and today sitting through an AARP-sponsored defensive driving course to lower my insurance premium. It was very ironic. I perked up during the part about deteriorating reflexes as we age and parking technique.

I’m going to take the SUV to a remote beach for my birthday this weekend, sleep in a tent, and enjoy my solitude.