This morning I was awakened around 6:20 a.m. when it began to storm. I thought, “Ahh, what a nice morning to sleep on.” I knew that soon enough I had to get up and start work on my research paper, but it wasn’t time yet. It was raining pretty hard, and then I heard a strange noise outside my window. I just figured it must be hailing, and I actually thought to myself, “I’m glad my car is in the covered parking spot.”
A little later on in the morning, my roommate Carmen went to go work out. When she came back she asked me, “Kathleen, where’s your car?” My stomach sank. I looked out the window and sure enough, it was not in the spot where I had parked it the night before. “Carmen, I have no idea where it is,” I responded. I went outside and looked around, called my mom to make sure no one in the family came to get it–she said she thought it was probably on its way to Mexico–and so I finally came to the sad conclusion that it must be stolen.
I immediately called the police to file a report. My mind was racing. How much money was this going to cost me? How am I going to get anywhere? What did I have inside the truck? I loved that little thing. I was going to drive it into the ground. Was this really happening? After speaking with the police, I called my insurance agency. They were asking me a bunch of questions and while I was on hold Carmen and I began to talk things out. Through this process I realized that maybe my car wasn’t stolen–maybe it had been towed. So she ran to the apartment office to find out if they knew anything while I was on the phone. The insurance agent was in the middle of telling me what was going to happen when Carmen rushed back and said, “Kathleen! It was towed.”
What happened was that when I renewed my registration a few weeks ago, I was sent new license plates with a new number. I forgot to notify the apartment office of this, and they did an inspection of the lot last night and since the plate number didn’t match up with what they had on file, they towed it without even considering that it was the same car. Do you see the irony my friends?? It got towed because it was parked in the covered spot. So Carmen took me to pick it up, and it only cost me $182.39. What did I get for that money? I got my truck back–but it shouldn’t have been taken to begin with. I got my stress level elevated a few dozen notches. And I lost basically the entire morning since I could hardly concentrate on anything after the fiasco. I am not a very happy camper.
But I do have my little delinquent truck. When I picked him up I felt like I was bailing a kid out of jail. I of course documented the experience.
The auto storage place
The sign out front
Signing my life away
There he is! (The tan one.)
I am trying extremely hard not to be stressed out with my life these days, but I have a feeling that sometime within the next month there will be a breakdown. I am serious about this. But for now, I am holding it together.
P.S. UCLA let me down tonight, and I had to say goodbye to the trophy that could have been–and one day will be–mine.
From David F:
Hey Kat, you know I think what happened was completely unfair. I’m not a big fan of the tow-truck industry. Don’t let it get you down though. You’re right about how much better it is that it was towed rather than stolen. What’s interesting in the bottom picture is the truck next to yours. Maybe someone has it in for Nissan Frontier’s. Could be a conspiracy. :)
From dudley:
Kat,
If Megan was around she would have told you to raise hell. It be a good time to go to your lease office and tell them your displeasure.
From Katy:
Oh, man. I would have pitched a fit until the apartment complex agreed to pay for the wrecker fee. Punks.
From Dudley:
Kat, I realize I should never write you at 1:23 in the morning. It sounds so stupid and juvenile. Yet, I agree with katy, but I would be passive aggressive with how I would get back at them.
From Mom:
I must say that the lot to where your truck was towed was a whole lot cleaner and neater than the lot to where your brother David’s car was towed when he was in his accident. His lot didn’t have concrete ANYWHERE, just mud and puddles.