Flat tire chivalry

I did. I got one. On my poor Boo. My outback Sue Boo Roo. I was so worried about him. Luckily, he was nice enough to hold on long enough for me to pull in to a parking lot... then he gave up and the tire just went completely flat.

Not long after, Boo was surrounded. Some guys in my ward heard about my predicament and instantly came out to "survey" the "situation". They all had very different opinions about the cause of the flat tire and the likely effects. As they circled Boo, crouching and looking underneath, kicking the other tires, and examining every square inch of my beloved Outback, I stood back and smiled. Classic. None of them could consider moving on with their lives until this broken piece of machinery was fixed and all was well in my world. And more and more of them kept coming. More opinions, more help. I sat back and relaxed as five guys tried to make themselves useful. I admit that I got a little nervous for a moment, remembering that Kurt died when he was trying to fix a flat tire in Forever Strong. But we were tucked away in a parking lot and I saw each of these boys at church that day, which probably earned them some extra blessings.

One started working on loosening the lug nuts. One grabbed the spare tire from my trunk. One started setting up the jack. The other two offered advice. "Put it right there." "No, you need to loosen it with your foot." "You're going to have to jack it up higher." "You should tighten the lug nut opposite from that one." Occasionally they would rotate in and out of the actual tire-changing process and when the alternates weren't giving the others tips, they were educating me. "We have to lift it higher because the inflated tire needs more room than the flat one." "When did you get these tires? Take them to Big O on State because they have the best deal." "You know you shouldn't go over 50 on this spare, right?" "It's probably just a nail. You see, it lodges in the groove of your tire and the air starts escaping really fast and..." I listened intently, nodding periodically, offering an occasional "ahhh, I see" and smiled. After the job was completed, one opened my door, the other stuck his head in the passenger window and offered to drive me to and from Salt Lake so I didn't have to drive and so I could get to my parents' for fathers' day, and two others informed me that they were going to follow me home to make sure everything went okay. The other grabbed my phone and programmed in his name in case something were to happen. He then offered to go with me to get my tire replaced to make sure I wouldn't get swindled. I told him that wouldn't be necessary but thanked him and the others most graciously, promised them (as all typical girls do) cookies or cake or something to say thank you, and chuckled to myself as I pulled away. Glancing in my rearview mirror, I saw five very satisfied faces. All was well in the world again.

Although I sometimes complain about being a girl (not having more control over dating, not being able to be safe by myself, not being able to do my hair in 2 minutes, etc.) I will never complain about chivalry. I thought it was an incredibly appropriate activity for fathers' day... have five great guys show great respect and concern for me. Made me appreciate gentlemen everywhere.