The Cute Pink Shopping Bag

I had been neglecting my car for too long. It was time for a visit to the muffler shop. I received my annual auto registration notice in the mail, and noted that my car needed to pass a smog test. This is something I actually LIKE to do. I believe that it is possibly the best legislation in California. There is already too much smog in our world. By taking this measure we are insuring that our cars are not inadvertently polluting. My car is a 2002, so it was time to make sure everything was working correctly, and from the sound of it, everything wasn’t.

I began my smog adventure by driving to The Smog Station – there is a mechanic there who I trust, I think his name is Troy. My car had been making awful noises and I thought I had a hole in the muffler. It sounded loud and obnoxious whenever I stepped on the gas pedal. My daughter would comment, “Dad paid lots of money to make his car sound like that.” We would chuckle out loud. Unfortunately, Troy doesn’t do exhaust work, but he recommended a place called Minuet Muffler. Wow. The mechanic, Scott, was amazing.

Scott ordered my part, and said he would call me when it arrived. After he called, I went down to his shop, and he informed me that it would take about thirty minutes to install. I decided to walk to Safeway to pick up a few things, thinking there was no way it would be done when I got back. 

I felt strange walking alone on the busy street from Minuet Muffler to Safeway. While inside shopping, my psychologist called me to see if I could pick up a canceled appointment later that day. At this point, I wasn’t sure about my car, so I turned down the offer. Car repair is such a hassle; it really disrupts the timetable. When I hung up the phone, I was choking back tears. I had to cancel my appointment last week, and now I couldn’t take this appointment either. We did carve out a time that I could go next week, but I still felt lousy about not being able to talk to him. I feel so vulnerable when I come out of my shell.

I finished my shopping, and went to check out. The cashier asked if I wanted to make a donation to breast cancer research. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this is Safeway’s way of helping the cause. I donated a couple of dollars and received the cutest pink shopping bag. Because of my new little female doggie, Roxie, pink is my color of choice these days. The cashier thanked me over the intercom for the donation with a cheer, and bagged my groceries in the pink shopping bag.

I felt proud walking back to Minuet Muffler on the busiest street in Dublin. I hoped everyone saw me carrying my groceries in that pink bag. My mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer when she was 57 years old, and a couple of years ago, a friend of mine lost his sister to cancer. For both of them breast cancer was only the beginning of a string of cancers they had to battle. Both of them lost. I can sure sympathize with that. I still feel lucky to be alive.

I arrived back at Minuet Muffler pink bag of groceries in hand, and my car was already done! Scott charged me only $40 to fix the problem. I was impressed to say the least. Just a month ago a different mechanic had told me that I likely needed a new exhaust system. Thank goodness for honest people.

Roxie and the Pink Shopping Bag