Fortunately, by Remy Charlip as Retold by Goody

Cross-Posted at the other blog because I'm too exhausted to write a new post.

We went out for a drive to the city.

A man was waiting to exit a parking lot into traffic, so we let him noting it is good karma.

As we turned the corner, our brakes went out.

Fortunately, right at that corner was a Firestone, open on a Sunday, with a sign that said "Brake Service."

It would take a few hours.

Fortunately, there was a coffee shop across the street.

The coffee shop was closing in half an hour and they were out of coffee.

Fortunately, the manager felt bad for us, and made a pot of coffee anyway as a kind gesture.

The brake cylinder needed to be replaced.

Fortunately, they could do that. They put in the new cylinder and tried the pressure and the brake line gave way because it was rusted.

Fortunately, the mechanic thought he could patch it. He couldn't, and the whole thing started leaking. We were forty miles from home.

Fortunately, they had a phone book, so we tried to find a car rental at six PM on a Sunday in Omaha. No luck.

Fortunately, the manager loaned us her car to get home.

Fortunately, I had a thousand bucks to re-do the brake line in a car with almost 200,000 miles on it.

I would have gassed-up her car as well, but I wasn't sure what grade she used so I brought an assortment of homemade jams, jellies and preserves along with a bread and some chocolates. That was really pretty awesome to lend complete strangers your car to get home way the heck out in the country. We offered to give her some sort of credit card deposit to hold, but she didn't think we looked like car thieves. As much as I complain about people, it is easy to forget the kindnesses people will show you. Fortunately.

If you don't know the wonderful children's books by Remy Charlip, hurry to your library and get them-they are fantastic in both senses of the word.