I was making a valiant attempt to deliver a load of repaired books to one of my favorite clients this afternoon. It was an attempt that later proved successful, but along the way--just before the Hampton tolls on I-95, my alternator bit it. I was doing 70 southbound, and then I was not. I almost made it to the underpass, like 20 yards out, but wound up on the curb in the baking hot sun. I called my brother so I'd feel better, then I called triple-A and they sent along a righteous man named Merlin (we shook hands in his tow truck). Merlin then brought me and my sorry-ass car to a peaceful, beautiful place: Dave's Garage and Lubritorium, in and on Hampton Beach, NH.
These were unfortunate circumstances. I had a deadline for the work, I had an appointed delivery time, and then I had a bum engine. But my client was sympathetic and Dave and his staff were speedy and capable. And honestly, it was more than bliss to have an unexpected hour and half to sit on a bench outside the Lubritorium, eat a sub, and think long and hard about what was right in front of me. Which in this case was sky, asphalt, and New Hampshire's version of a beach.
