Evening Class was long and hard. Took 2 online exams, 2 online labs, 2 in class labs, and this all before the first smoke break...
Finally class is over, we had elected to stay an hour and a half late. Stomach is grumbling, I need coffee even though it is hot as all get out this late.
"Steve, I gotta problem, saw your truck and kept peeking in the windows of classroom doors until I found you".
Classmate from another semester had been in the Computer Lab, went out to her car , noticed a puddle and a certain smell. Gas.
Security was making the rounds - driving the campus and parking lot. Now we have a shop on campus that teaches some automotive stuff, naturally it was closed. Besides *ahem* some of us do no park on Campus for a reason.
"Thank you for the offer officer, I do appreciate you checking on me, and keeping an eye on my vehicle, I'll just go wait for my friend to get out of class".
Murphy's Law done struck again. She had just had this car tuned-up , oil changed and the whole bit. I spy the culprit, split fuel line hose - a new hose mind you. Of course the split was in the middle, and there was not enough hose to reach from "here to there". Murphy is good I must say.
"Well I didn't lose much gas I guess, I was near empty and was planning on buying gas after class". She had made a bank run earlier in the day, just a matter of too many things to do in a short time frame.
"What the hell is that?" - she asked.
"Okalahoma Credit Card" - I replied.
"I thought that was a joke, something made up...whatever that is - it does exist?"
"Yep".
Now I had cleaned up the tool box on my truck before Fall Semester started. Hard to find stuff in a organized tool box I might add.
Aha! I found the length of clear tubing like used for aquairiums...close enough for Gumbmint work to be a fuel line hose. Well actually shove into existing line , after Mr. Kershaw removed the split portion.
The 3 cell Mag-Light comes out from under the seat and inserted into back pocket..."Umm, not to be stupid or anything , but wouldn't the flashlight be put to better use if I held it and shined it so you could like see what you are doing, I mean it is 10PM and all".
"Mag-light is backup, to...well "
"Oh!" - she replied.
"There is a cheap light in tool box - yellow, snag that one if you please" and snag the batteries in there somewhere too...your light just died".
"Hey, you got a box Vanilla Wafers in here, you need to eat , I can hear your stomach grumbling...Nevermind...Never seen Vanilla Wafers come in boxes of 50 in 45ACP and 9mm before...".
All I will say is these boxes do fit in a 'Nilla Wafer box ...
Had to explain why I have a wooden dowel in there too.
"To hit someone?"
"No, that is a backup prop rod for my hood, ever have one of them things come crashing down on you?"
"No, I don't have a backup prop rod...I want one..."
Sigh...
Retreiving the screwdriver and pliers from under the passenger side floor mat - what? I thought that is where you are supposed to keep them...the spare set stays in the tool box don't you know?
My itty bitty clamps were not itty bitty enough, electrical tape works so much better for most stuff than duct tape...
"How does the Oklahoma credit card work? You are NOT going to inhale on that thing and draw gas up that way are you?"
"In my youth I did, still can if need. Now this here Okalahma Credit Card has lower "interest".
"Huh? - That looks like Weed-Whacker line".
"Nope - that be the "lower interest".
So I pulled my truck alongside where the two gas fills were alongside. Insert the Whacker line, keep pulling until the rubber thingie from off what I have no idea...(looked like it would work when I spied it in a Mom & Pop Hardware store when I made this thing)... on the end of said line is just about an inch from the end of tubing I will insert into my tank.
Insert tubing, pull line, rubber thingie causes suction, and gas is drawn up and insert into her tank. Yeah well I tied a great Weed-Whacker knot and all...Mr. Zippo just "cinched" the deal - or is that "singed" the deal...whatever.
"I'll be damned" She kept saying that over and over again as my gas went into her tank.
We stopped to get gas, and still holding. We took Burger King by storm...it held all thru this ruckus. She called it ruckus - I call it inhaling two burgers and whatever else I could get my hands on and put in me...
She came by today - and fuel line was still holding. We bought new fuel line and put it back as per factory. Oh...she has a backup prop rod now too, custom fit by Mr. Handsaw while she waited...
She still has my Oklahoma Credit Card. Seems she is gonna make one for her daddy for his B-day. Using mine for a model. I cannot wait to hear what the Mom & Pop Hardware folks say in response to "Can we help you?" and she whips out that OKlahoma Credit Card and replies " Yeah- you got any of these?"
Her Daddy is gonna get a big kick out of this. He was concerned about his older daughter going to college. Then again who says all one learns is from a building with the word "Education" written on the door.
Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.
