It was Christmas Eve 2017. We were on our way to the Ozarks from Tulsa.
We started toward Missouri around 6:30 p.m.There was a winter advisory. Ice covered the ground, and salt covered the roads. Around Miami, OK, we pulled off to get windshield wipers from the store. The current ones were underperforming. After we pulled off the interstate, the low tire pressure light came on.
We went to the big concrete block superstore, hoping the tire center was still open. It wasn’t. I contemplated buying a tire repair kit, slime tire sealant, and an air compressor to see if that helped. Then I searched online for a local mechanic. We found someone who advertised 24/7 roadside service and called him. He did not appreciate me bothering him on Christmas Eve at 8:00 p.m.
I don’t blame him, but he should’ve taken down his advertisement. He arrived in the parking lot with a tire and the proper equipment to complete the job, but he wanted me to use whatever I had.
As it turns out, he was as cuddly as a cactus, as charming as an eel, and because of his profession, he had a greasy black peel. He had all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, and we never saw him smile. All he needed was a furry green suit to complete the look.
After a two-hour delay, we were back on the road. By then, the temperature was in the twenties, and the snow had begun to fall. We blazed past Joplin, MO, at a rapid twenty-five miles per hour.
The snow flew at the windshield like we were going over a hundred. I thought I was losing my mind by the time we reached Springfield. So, we stopped by the Holiday Inn. There weren’t any song and dance routines by Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds to greet us in the lobby.
By the morning, the snow had fallen, the roads were clear, and we finished the drive home. We arrived just in time to open presents.
The highlight of the trip was getting to meet The Grinch in living color.
And we forgot to buy the windshield wipers.
But we made it home to spend Christmas with family. And maybe assisting someone in need helped a Grinch’s heart grow a size or two.
Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams,
– Caleb
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