Fai: "I am gonna tell my children this.." 26April2011

It was like any other day. Mother itching to leave the house. Kids want to stay home.

After much negotiation...

Me: "The library books are due. I MUST return them today!"

Fai: Oh. Ok. If you have to....

I took the boys out. JY stayed home. She was busy with a cake order.

Here was the plan, go to the library, return the books, borrow more books. Go to the playground at Taman Jaya then pack some dinner home. Simple enough right?

Everything went as planned.

Little did I know that the a section of the road that I normally took was closed at 5pm. So I had to take a detour. A very long detour.

I looked at the digital mileage reading. I had another 70km of petrol to go. Should be good enough.

It started pouring.

Traffic was at a standstill.

Then. Suddenly. All the lights on the dashboard lit up and the engine went dead.

Turned the ignition key. Car started...spluttered...then went dead.

Oh Dear me.

It was storming outside. I put on the hazard lights. Called DH. Now all I have to do is wait.

DH called the RoadRanger number that was posted on my windscreen. Help was on the way. DH was also coming to my rescue - from Bukit Bintang.

Luckily, dinner was already in the car. We had bottles of water and best of all, Ean was asleep. And we had a bagful of library books to keep us entertained.

We read and read and read somemore....

Cars had to squeeze past me. Huge trucks, buses too. I tried my best to block out the scenario outside by reading aloud to the kids.

Then came my hero in blue - a policeman.

Polis: Apa hal? (what's the matter?)

Me: Enjin tak jalan (The car won't start)

Polis: Lepas brek, berhenti depan (Release your brakes, stop further up)

Me: Er...enjin tak hidup, brek masih boleh guna???!(Can the brakes still work when the engine is off?)

Polis(with a grin): Boleh! (Of course!)

So with my hero in blue pushing from behind, I released the brakes and glided downhill and the brakes worked. I parked the car away from the snarling traffic.

And there was a petrol station just a few steps away.

My hero glanced into the car, saw my 3 boys, shook his head and went on his way.

I was still too flustered and didn't have the presence of mind to thank my hero in blue or get his name.

The boys and I walked to Mobil, bought RM8.90 worth of petrol in a plastic container that costs RM2. Walked back to the car. I tried to tip the petrol in but it kept spilling out. I think, in all, I managed to pour in half a cupful

Anyway it was sufficient to get the car going.

The petrol attendant showed me how to do it. Use a plastic drinking straw to depress the flap then pour in the petrol.

DH came not long after. So did the tow truck.

Fai told me this :

" I won't ever forget what happened. I am gonna tell my children this."

Moral of story:

1) When you unschool, the parents gets the report card - to be narrated to their grandkids

2) Never trust the digital petrol gauge

3) Don't go out just before peak hour