Friday, September 9, 2022

My Finest Hour

 When we were in Charleston last weekend, my father was concerned about getting his boat moved; he's hoping to sell it soon, but he's unable to drive his truck right now, and my stepmom cannot drive it because it is so souped-up that the transmission is unbelievably touchy, and you have to engage *every muscle* in your left leg and back to change gears.  And you better hope your leg is really long.  Backing the truck up to the boat in order to hitch them together was simply a task too daunting for them--and as anyone with manual transmission experience knows, you've got to be awfully responsive on the clutch to get a large truck backed up without stalling out.  

My father consented to allow my husband to try this task, and my husband essentially took one look at it and gladly handed the job to me. Thanks to my father, I've got a lot of experience driving manual transmissions, including trucks with a lot of torque. 

Well!  I backed this Ford F-350 up *perfectly* to hitch it to the boat trailer, and it was a true Moment of Triumph for me.  In spite of the touchy clutch, gears that don't want to be found, and more torque than I've ever encountered in any vehicle ever, I did it!

Dad, peering out of the kitchen window, had tears in his eyes as he watched me.  "How could I be so stupid!" he said, clearly remembering that I'd been taught by the best (him--obviously :)). He was so pleased that we were able to move his boat for him!  I am glad we could help. And lots of credit goes to my husband, who is the very best at giving calm, clear, and helpful instructions--why is he not an air traffic controller, I do not know!

I celebrated with a victory lap around the block. 

It's the little things, you know?  

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