I have people who do that for me

I had mentioned in the past that when I was younger, I knew how to do everything. I just grew up that way.

I helped my father with everything around the house, I was the one who mowed the lawn and cleaned the pool. I know how to hang things and fix thing. But over time I paid people and forgot how to even tie my own shoelaces.

Well, I do know how to do that, but, I forgot how to do so much.

My car needed antifreeze, I don’t know why, because most of the containers say its good for 150,000 to 300,000 miles, so perhaps last time I got a tune up, they emptied it and forgot to refill it.

For months, the light was going off. I kept putting it off because I didn’t know how to deal with it. In the past I changed the oil, the far off past with a far off car, but now, I had no clue.

I mentioned it to one of my neighbors a month or so ago, he’s a young fire rescue guy who knows it all. He said he had an extra container of the fluid; did I want it?

I did, but I didn’t take it because I didn’t want to have to try and put it into the car with him standing there watching me.

I attempted to buy the fluid a few times, but something came up and I never got around to it. I finally made it the auto parts store the other day, and it was closed due to an electrical problem.

The other night I asked my young neighbor for the fluid, and he gave me a full container. He asked me if I wanted him to do it for me then and there. I said, “No, thanks, I can handle it.” Which of course, I couldn’t, and I would have loved for him to get it done right then.

The next morning, I attempted the job. I couldn’t find the lever to open the hood, I had to look it up in the car manual, and I finally found it, but then you have to put your hand under the hood and release something. I could not manage it.

Another neighbor, my age, came by and I asked him to help. His wife who was with him asked me, “When was the last time you opened it.” I responded, “Never, I have people who do that for me.” Which came out as the biggest fucking elitist thing to say, but since we are all the same age, she got it, and we all laughed.

My neighbor fooled around with it for a bit, and he finally opened the hood. They went off for their morning walk and I joked that I would be waiting for them to return so he could slam the hood shut for me.

So, I finally got the fluid into the car, and all is well with the world. I bought a new container of fluid, returned it to my other neighbor and that’s that.

For now.

With a car, it’s always, “For Now.”

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