The Dark Cloud

I lead a charmed life.

That is the disclaimer for this post. Even though the two weeks it has felt like a dark cloud has been following me - I really have nothing to complain about. The fact I can sit here in the comfort of my home with my expensive laptop and know I still have a financial cushion puts me in the 99 percentile of privileged lucky people in the earth.

That being said - the last two weeks have been a pain-in-the ass! It all started with laziness. I decided not to return the rental car and switch it with my car which I left in the lot until after I stopped home to pee and have some dinner. Home was on the way and I thought I would go to the gym after I had done the car switch. I was even lazier and lounged around the house and finally decided to the switch at 9:30. When I pulled into the rental car lot - planning just to drop the keys in the night box - my car wasn't there! Called the police and they immediately told me it had been towed.

I had entered into "After Hours". If you haven't seen the classic Martin Scorsese film - it is the story of a man trying to get home - but things keep happening. For me I called the tow company to find out where my car was and got bounced to three different phone numbers. Was told by the final woman it would cost $120 cash but call the tow guy to meet me to get my car. I get cash out of the ATM and call the guy. He tells me it has to be $110 exact change. Fuck! I only have $20's. I go to convenience store to break a $20 and finally walk over to the tow lot.

I get to the tow place and no one is there. Just a great big flat bed truck infront - good, I have an AWD car and am thankful they used a flatbed cause my car would be toast otherwise. I call again and after circling a couple time I finally find the guy/ I am met by a over cheerful guy in his 40's. I follow him back to his office and he cheerfully explains how its not the rental car's place fault that his company has the contract to clear the lot cause people park there illegally. I try to explain to him the rental car place told me to leave my car there and he says sorry if it doesn't have a tag he tows it and then proceeds to tell me what time he towed my car. Fucking ten minutes before I arrived. I sign some paper get a receipt and go to my car.

Immediately I notice that there is a weird sound. So I drive around the block and back to the tow place to yell at the guy. He is still cheerful and irritatingly chatty. He goes into huge detail telling me how he towed my car to explain it isn't his fault and I am fuming cause I don't know how to argue with him. So I give up and start to drive away. Of course my car is overheating! I am almost home and I get a call on my cell phone - its the tow guy telling me I never paid him. He starts to be defensive on the phone saying he has it on camera and I feel my pocket and realize in all his saccharine shmoozing - he never collected from me. I try to shut him and say I will be right there and he implies I never intended to pay him. Fuck - its 10:30 at night. my evening has gotten completely screwed up and he thinks I am deceitful. Enraged I drive back to hand him the money my car whining and complaining the entire way.

To make this story short I will summarize what happens next. I take the car to three mechanics - all won't say that it is the fault of the tow, while really saying it is the fault of the tow. The first two won't even properly diagnose the problem. The third - the dealer offers to fix it for $900. Angered and already invested more hours trudging the car from mechanic to mechanic I tell them to fix it. Get another rental car - drop the car off. Of course when I go to pick it up - the dealer recommends another $3000 of repairs (this is an 8 year old car!). Of course some of the repairs I know I have taken care of - I now really feel like someone is out to screw me!

So the final rain shower this dark cloud dropped is when the dealer said my car was ready I dropped off the rental car before they opened - hoped a bus to the dealer. 14 hours later I get home to a message on my machine from the rental car people asking about a dent on the rental car - my heart sank and immediately I got nauseous.