The Golden Pencil: The Freelance Writer’s Resource

Thank God for Spare Tires and Nicaraguans

by Anne Wayman on November 24th, 2005

So I drove 64 miles north, 40 of it in stop/slow/go on California’s Highway 5 to join my youngest son, youngest granddaughter, and her mother’s glorious, extended family for Thanksgiving dinner… a good time was had by all, including an almost 90-year-old woman who is my new roll model.

My son walked me out to the car and pointed out that my back right tire was soft so down the hill and 50 cents later I’d added air and headed back down the freeway. Roughly half way I hear a horrid flap flap sound from the right rear, manage to get off the freeway safely and to a gas station.

That rear tire is in the process of pealing it’s tread off. There’s still air, but even I know better. Of course, the gas station, in spite of being a major brand, sells gas only; it’s once active garage is full of soda and other food-type goods. The kid who’s running it has no idea where I can find someone to change a tire and isn’t very interested.

Wondering what to do, I return to my car and up pulls a neat, clean, reasonably new pickup truck with two guys who look okay. I ask for help, and before long, two guys from Nicaragua have emptied my trunk, found the spare, filled it with air (another 50 cents), installed the tire and are waving me good by.

I lead a charmed life! What has this got to do with freelance writing? Not much, except as a demonstration you can turn almost anything into prose.

Write well and often,

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POSTED IN: Musings From A Freelance Writer