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I don't suppose you want to know about my truck breaking down northbound at Mile Marker 267, but it did. The temperature gauge showed no issue, nor the oil gauge, yet the rhythmic tick as I accelerated told me that prudence would be to pull over and make the necessary phone calls.

The fluid I saw in parking lots over the last week under my truck was mine after all. It would have been very easy to verify. Somewhere in the back of my mind I must have believed that the third radiator installed in as many years surely couldn't be faulty. And that temperature gauge, had it been acting weird ever since the last radiator exploded? Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

All very calmly assessed during and after. Even the dread of no longer having a truck, me looking at myself in anguish. Dread is dread, no?

The starlings in the trees alongside the freeway kept me company. So did the garbage, always amazed at the accumulations of both. Plus the volume of traffic. I had my hazard lights on, and cautiously stayed outside the vehicle, but not so far away that I couldn't quickly reach inside the passenger door for my coffee in the cup holder. Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick One of those state emergency trucks pulled up behind me and I walked over to his passenger window.

"I have a tow coming."

"OK. I have a 1990. Good little truck with 250K on it."

"This one," I said, pointing at my truck," had 250 on it too before it got a new motor. 30K on the rebuilt, so I'm hoping I just didn't kill the damn thing."

"Well, good luck."

The tow arrived fifteen minutes earlier than when they said it would. Still, I had to piss twice, cozied up against the open door while aiming for inside the corner made by it and the floorboard. And agin, I grabbed for the coffee.

"I got a '92. Had an extra motor that just needed a valve cover until a couple weeks ago. Sold it for $200. Too bad."

My wife picked me up from our mechanic's.

"You didn't hear that funny noise yesterday?"

"The ball joints in old Toyotas always make that noise on a tight turn."

"Not that noise."

Guess not, too in love with the new stereo, now that both channels work.