It was around the fall of 1995 when Brian purchased an Eddie Bauer, 2 door, Ford Bronco II, navy blue with cream trim. It even had a sunroof with it. He bought it after his older pick-up truck, that we called Big Blue, went out. He had to take a loan out for it and he was nervous on doing so because he never had a loan from a bank before. He looked at the sales man who wanted to offer us a 2 year loan contract and Brian said, "Two years? I don't know if I can make a commitment that long!" He said that meaning more of where the economy might be in two years and where he would be financially.
I looked at him wide-eyed, "You CAN'T make a two year commitment yet you want me to marry you? At least I am finding this out now!" We all laughed.
He eventually made the purchase and he was enslaved for a little over $220 a month for the next few years. While he was out trucking over the road he let me use it at college as long as I would pick him up when he returned back home. My mom's husband's family was having a get together at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon. Brian said I could use the Bronco to drive there. While leaving the park I noticed the beige tire cover on the back was missing. I felt horrible. When I told Brian about it he laughed and said we could get another one and that it was no big deal, We never did replace it. Even now as we see a Bronco similar to what ours was we check to see if the tire cover is on theirs.
I remember my sister and I would go shopping and we would try to fit her daughter's infant car seat in the back. She had to hold her daughter while I had to twist the car seat around at different angles and upside down and wiggle its way to the back seat. After I got it in the backseat I had to climb in the back myself to buckle it in. My sister would pass her daughter over to me and I would place her in the infant car seat and buckle her in. It really took some talent and time get the infant car seat all set up properly.
Fast forward several months to late summer in 1996. I was 19 and finished off my first year at Grand Valley State University and I moved in with Brian. We lived on the boarder line of Gobles and Allegan in Michigan. We just found out we were expecting our first little baby in April the following year. He was busy trucking for TML out of Grand Rapids and I worked for Family Dollar in Allegan. Things were going good for us.
It was a Sunday when the unthinkable happened. I had my friend Rhonda over and we were watching Scott (Brian's brother's son) who was around 11 or 12 at the time. Brian called from a payphone to tell me that he was on his way to Grand Rapids and to come and pick him up from the TML terminal. I was so excited. It was a week since I had seen him last. We all piled into the Bronco and made our way north to Grand Rapids.
We were having a good ol' time of singing to the radio songs and driving north on U.S. 131 coming near the Cutlerville area when the Bronco started to shake real bad and make loud noises. I reached over and shut off the radio so I can hear the sounds better. The steering wheel wobbled heavily in my hand. Something was seriously wrong. A rest area was just coming up on our right (the rest area has now been torn down for the construction of M-6). I managed to work the wheel to pull into there and find a parking spot.
We all get out and I lift the hood and look into the engine. I had no idea what I was looking at. The parts I was looking at were dark and dirty looking. I didn't know what to do. Rhonda and Scott were just clueless at what was going on. I knew something wasn't right and that I shouldn't be driving it. Even if I could drive it the Bronco was nearly impossible to control. I was so close to Grand Rapids yet too far to tempt to drive it or to walk. We were stuck there at the rest area.
I go over to the pay phones and called my sister. I was running low on coins so I had to be specific and brief in what I said. I told her the Bronco broke down and that she needed to have her husband Doug drive out to where Brian worked, pick him up and tell him we are broke down. The downside was that they didn't know exactly where Brian's terminal was and I didn't know the street names to tell her. I just remembered the route by going with Brian several times before. The task couldn't be done.
We went back to the Bronco and stared at the engine as if by magic it would fix itself and remove us from this horrible situation. A middle aged man nearby was going through the garbage bins looking for soda bottles. He noticed our drama and started to make his way towards us. He said he knew a little bit about cars and asked if he could help. I figured it couldn't hurt any if he looked at it. I motioned for him to take a glance. He started to twist off caps and pull some sort of measuring sticks out of the engine.
I just wanted to take this moment to explain my background knowledge of cars. The only thing I knew about cars was put the key in the ignition, how to put in gas, mover the shifter bar to drive and reverse, how to break, how to press on the gas pedal, how to use my blinker, how to turn on the lights, how to use my wipers and how to turn on the radio. Outside of my little circle of knowledge about cars I knew nothing. I was completely ignorant. I didn't care to learn about it. I just want a car to go from point A to point B. I had no interest in the mechanics of how it worked.
The man looks up with a grim look on his face. "Your dipstick is dry."
I look at him blankly, "and that means....."
He shot me a glace to see if I seriously didn't know or if I was being sarcastic. "You are without oil. Do you have any on you?"
I still didn't know what to think. I told him I didn't have any on me. I couldn't even tell anyone where to pick any up at. He said he would see if he had any in his car. I walked over with him and he had a son about 8 or 9 years old in the old rundown car. I felt bad for him and his misfortune but ironically he was the one who seemed to feel bad for me and expressed concern. He fumbled through his trunk and pulled out a few black bottles. He tried to add it to the Bronco. He asked for me to start it up and it sounded loud and shook violently. He immediately told me to shut it off.
"I think you have blown a rod." Again I give him a blank look as I have no clue to what he is talking about, "Do you have far to go?"
"I am on my way to pick up my boyfriend. He's a truck driver." I reply back.
"How about if I give you all a ride to him?" he asks.
I look over at Rhonda and Scott. I didn't know what to do. I know we are not supposed to take rides from strangers. His car looked like it was ready to fall apart as it is and we just seen him go through the garbage. Do we dare go with him? I know if bad things happen Rhonda and I are old enough to take care of ourselves but I had my nephew to think about. It wasn't just my life I was putting at risk if I took the offer for a ride, it was another person's life. On the other hand I couldn't just stay there with everyone either. I said a little prayer of protection from God. "Alright." I said.
Before we left I called my sister one last time to let her know I was getting a ride to Brian's work. She thought I was crazy for getting a ride but I felt as if I didn't have a choice.
We proceeded our way north down the highway. Rhonda and Scott sat in the back along with his son. I felt secure keeping my hand on the door's handle. I found myself concentrating to keep breathing. I was so scared. I kept looking back at Scott and Rhonda making sure they were okay. The man obeyed every direction I gave him. I started to feel relieved that he was truly going to take us to Brian's work and not kidnap us. I was very thankful when he turned into the trucking terminal and Brian was there waiting for us.
He talked with the man about the condition of the Bronco. It all seemed like doctor's jargon - a language only they can understand. All of it seemed so foreign to me. Shortly, the man and his son left. Brian told us that TML granted us permission to take the semi home and we should hop in. Rhonda and Scott were excited about getting into the semi truck. I had already been in a semi before and I do enjoy the rides. But I knew Brian was upset and I wasn't going to enjoy this ride home.
He asked me why I didn't check the oil. I told him I never knew I had to check the oil. I also told him I never knew how or where to check the oil. He grew up working around cars and trucks so for him it was all second nature. He didn't understand how I didn't know. He explained to me that oil is like the car's blood and without it a car cannot run. I still didn't understand the depths of it all. I kept thinking just add more oil and it will be okay. But Brian further explained that by not having oil in the Bronco it kills the engine and the whole engine would need to be replaced which is very expensive. We still owed on the Bronco and we couldn't even use it. Now I was starting to see how major of a deal this whole thing was. I felt beyond horrible.
He made his way around Grand Rapids so we could head back to the rest stop. He looks the Bronco over and declares that the engine is blown. He wasn't happy to say the least and I don't blame him for being mad. It was silent for a moment as we made our way back home. Rhonda, sitting on the bed in the bunk, broke the silence to ask Brian a bunch of questions about the trucking industry. It sort of calmed him down talking about it.
We did make it back home and eventually purchased another vehicle from the side of the road and that is a whole other blog in itself. The Bronco wouldn't of made a good use for a family vehicle anyway but I would of rather tried selling it rather than having the motor blow out on it. Now I am a little wiser in checking the oil and learning where to take the car for oil changes. It was an expensive lessoned learned.
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