A Mechanical Food for Thought

Long post... so SUE ME! LOL!

Shame on me...

Shame, shame, shame.

Haven't posted an entry in over a week! THE HORROR.

That's because I've been off since last Friday. Yep, the Oldgirl took a much needed vacation. I'ma let you know... Ain't nothing like laying out all day, dozing in and dozing out...

But, I did have a lot going on. And I got a lot of things done...

So...

a small adventure for you... It involves my favorite mechanic: DADDY CRE!!!

Yep... an Oldgirl's Zoom-Zoom (Mazda) broke down. Well, not necessarily broke down.

I had my final writing class last Thursday. It was approximately 5:30 pm, and I had been sitting at the dining room table, tapping away furiously on my laptop, finishing up a story I was to read to the class that night. I walked outside my house on Thursday, with my car keys, notes and story in hand, and noticed a HUGE puddle running down the driveway.

I stopped and looked skyward.

Had the silly thought: "It musta rained in one spot today! Imagine that."

Walked a little closer, and noticed that the puddle was green.

First thing I thought: Busted Radiator!!!!

I lifted my eyes skyward again... started feeling faint and all... Was screaming inside:

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! UGGGGGGGGGH!!!

Screamed kind of like Michael Jackson does in the "Black and White" video. (Minus the ripping open of the shirt. Can't be outside baring the breasts, you know. )

I walked back into the house, and yelled up the steps to my sister Kentucky:

"Kentucky, can I borrow your car!?"

She looked over the upstairs stair rail. "I don't care. I'm not going anywhere."

Good. I didn't want to miss my last class. Wasn't the happiest chick about going to class, since I was expected to read something LONG that night. I am not the best reader.

Anyway, I got in Kentucky's nice late model car (which is ALWAYS a JOY), and drove to class.

I looked for my mechanic Daddy Cre's # in my cell phone, and didn't have it. I dialed up his number from memory. The voice on the answering machine didn't sound right. So I called up Daddy Cre's daughter, my friend and coworker, The Cowgirl Cre.

Cowgirl Cre: "Hey girl!"
LadyLee: *Lee on the verge of tears* "Where's my Daddy!!!???"
Cowgirl Cre: "I don't know."
LadyLee: "My car is messed up. Where's my Daddy!?"
Cowgirl Cre: "I don't know, Lee."
LadyLee: "Well who is that on the answering machine?"
Cowgirl Cre: "I don't know."
LadyLee: Blah, blah, blah, BLAH, BLAH, BLAAAAAAAH!!!"

I whined and whined for my Cowgirl Cre's Daddy. I needed him to come see about my car.

Cowgirl Cre: "Lee, just call back and leave a message."

Which I did.

And I didn't hear back from him.

So I went to bed.

My phone rings at 12:45 a.m. I was sleeping good. One of those good kinds of sleep. You know, the kind where you think the phone is ringing in your dreams, and you running around in your dream trying to answer that ish.

By the time I answered it for real, it had stopped ringing. No one calls that late except LadyTee, and she was gonna get BUSTED.

I turned back over, threw the covers of my warm down comforter back over my head, sunk my head deep into the down pillows, and went back to sleep. The phone rang again. I looked at the caller ID...

It was my Cowgirl Cre's DADDY!!!!

"Hello?"
"Helloooo Felicia [He calls me Felicia, which rhymes with my real name. I don't really give a damn what he calls me at this point].
"Hey Daddy Cre."
"I'm sorry I'm getting back to you so late. Been out there fooling with Shunta's [his granddaughter] car. What seems to be the problem?"
*Lee on the verge of wailing*"I walked outside, and there was a whole lot of antifreeze on the ground, draining down the driveway. I don't think it's the radiator or the water pump. I think a hose is busted or something. [Look at me, trying to diagnose a problem. LOL.]
He paused for a moment. "Well Felicia, I'ma get Mama Cre, and we coming right over."

*silence*

I sat straight up in bed.

"No, no. I'm taking off tomorrow. You can look at it tomorrow morning if you like."

Another pause. And this time, I mean a looooong pause. It got so quiet that I just knew he had fallen asleep.

"Nawl, nawl, Felicia. We will be on over there."

*crickets*

"I wanted to yell "Mama Cre, Man up!! Man up, Old girl! Tell him NO!! It ain't that important!!"

I was expecting to hear Mama Cre in the background yelling a low guttural "Hell nawl, we ain't going nowhere this time of night."

But all I heard was the phone click instead.

Okay. I just knew I was dreaming. Just knew it. But just in case I wasn't, I, who was laid out butt-naked in the bed, got up and threw on some clothes. I still wasn't for sure if I was dreaming. So I went and opened the living room window, laid on the couch and turned on the TV. The movie True Lies was on. I watched that for a minute.

Lo and behold, I see bright headlights streaming through the window at 1:15 a.m.

So it wasn't a dream.

I grabbed my keys and walked outside. Daddy Cre is out there, bright eyed and bushy tailed...

"Felicia? Let's have a look at the car, so we can figure out what's going on."

So I stood out there with him while he jacked up my car, plugged in a few of his lights, and looked around. I wanted to lay down on the grass next to the fence so bad... just for a short nap.
He was laid out on the ground. His Bobby Brown "every little step I take" high curly fade-you remember the fade that was high on one side- was falling to the side.

I noticed some dudes running up the street with trashbags full of stuff and rolling luggage and all... They were smiling real hard. I could only see the whites of their eyes and their pretty white teeth.

Wondered to myself... who got robbed tonight?

Oh well... I turned my attention back to Daddy Cre.

"Daddy Cre, do you need me to let up my garage and turn on some lights so you can see?" I asked.
"No, Felicia. This light is just fine."

I didn't know what to say. Just stood back in the driveway, with my crosseyed self, trying to stay awake...

And watched.. and waited...

He stood back, placed a hand on his hip.

"Felicia, we gonna fill this radiator up with water, and we gonna take it on home."

I nodded... then watched as he drove the Zoom-Zoom up the street.

That was at 2:30 in the morning or so.

He called at 6:30 a.m. "Felicia... your car is ready."

He was standing at my door handing me the key to my car at 7:15 a.m.

...So that I could make it to work, I suppose.

I didn't go to work that next day.

But I spent the day relaxing...

and reflecting.

On how we live in a world where it seems like everybody is out to get what they can out of people. And somehow, it's considered normal to be that way.

And here is someone, who was willing to stay up the rest of the night and fix my ride. He charged a small fee, but I would have given him a chunk of change for what he did. (It wasn't a busted radiator. The plug that drains the radiator was stripped out, and needed replacing. Thing is, my radiator is a beast, and has to be totally pulled out and all the tubing removed just to see what's going on.)

I went and gave him his money the next day. *Lee standing at ATM trying to mentally calculate how much cash she got til payday, LOL* He was upset about that. "You coulda brought that money by whenever, Felicia!!"

Nawl, couldn't do that.

I usually get the same ol' speech from Daddy Cre: "Felicia, ya see, you Cowgirl Cre's friend. When I see you, my mind goes back...waaaaay back. You told her about a job opening, and she got the job. You got her car towed on your tow card one time, and you didn't have to do that... blah, blah, blah."

He knows he know how to tick off a list of stuff... stuff I hardly remember myself. He don't seem to understand that me and Cre have been homies for over 10 years, and are constantly doing for each other. She's done just as much for me as I for her. And that's the way it should be.

Ain't that big a deal, Daddy Cre!!

But like I said... I've learned one thing here:

It reminds me to be kind to people, to be generous to people, to sow into their lives... and because of him, and his many speeches, I must always work on doing good, and being kind-hearted. I have to always evaluate myself, and make sure my heart is right towards people, in everything that I do. It has taken a long time for me to learn not to do for people with some funky ulterior motive in mind, expecting something in return.

You gotta do for folks... out of your HEART, with no worries of them getting over on you. I miss the mark sometimes. I am learning. I am growing. I am a work in progress.

Now peeps who know me, who are around me on a consistent basis... know I am working on being a generous person. Not in a monetary fashion because the Oldgirl is not balling by a long shot (but I do what I can), but from a standpoint where it matters most: being kind, being a good listener, being a good friend, etc... all straight from a good heart.

It is always good when you got good examples around you, to show you how it's done.

I am so glad that Daddy Cre is a good example, and took the time to do for me that day:)