I'll preface this all by telling you the end, lest you be concerned....we're all home safe and sound.  Please bear with me as I am repeating parts of the 2 hour but seemingly never-ending epic that i did not witness....but are now part of family lore.

Upon our arrival in Kill Devil Hills, Daddy and I noticed a rattling from underneath Al & my new-to-us 04 Jeep.  We figured it was the muffler, no big concern, James even took a gander at it, nothing to be done and we'd have it looked at back home by a mechanic we knew and would not get taken by.

We drove the Jeep up and down the Outer Banks all week....to Corolla and NagsHead and in between.  Never with more than a half a tank of gas in it.  No problems, slight rattling, but no issues.

We packed the ol' family truckster up friday afternoon with our belongings and the 2 kids, my mom, dad and me.  Stopped and filled the tank (hey it was $2.60, a veritable DEAL!)  On to the causeway back to the mainland, and start the DVD player b/c Yes Eve, we WILL be in the car for a LOOONG time this time.

BUMP, scrape, sccccraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppppppeeeeeeee.  What the hell is THAT???  I'm looking in the sidemirror for sparks.  the SCRAAAAPE noise was UNREAL.  Dad said that last hanger for the muffler must have given and if it fell off, oh well nothing to be done till we get home.  SOunded plausible to me, but wow, that noise was HORRENDOUS, i was actually hoping it dropped off AND SOON. 

A blue Ford F250 pulls up next to us making the 'roll down the window' sign (even tho no oneROLLS a window down anymore)  Dad does, and the woman tells us "YOUR FUEL TANK IS DRAGGING ON THE ROAD ---PULL OVER"  Which Dad immediately does. 

We 3 adults JUMP from the vehicle.....the children were watching the Muppets, not to be interrupted.  I was about to hyperventilate...I think we all were.  Zoe & Craig (our guardian angels) pull over with us and run back to us.  We look and sure enough, the damn fuel tank is on the ground.  Another truck pulls in behind us.  We're all in disbelief.  Have you EVER??? NO, we haven't either. 

The other truck from Virginia goes back to his truck and returns with some picture wire.  He and Dad figure they can at least rig it up so we can get it to a service station.  But Zoe is already on the phone.  As the grace of God would have it, Zoe and Craig were FROM the area, Powells Point, NC to be exact.  She calls a mechanic friend with a tow truck.  He gives her the name of another guy, and as she works the phone, Mom and i are looking at each other like this cannot be happening.  Particularly since it was 94 degrees.  And hot.   Damn hot.  HOt like the hell i never wanna find out about.

I call Al.  Why, b/c in crisis I call Al.  He is 9 hours away, but I call him anyway.  He is in disbelief.  I hang up with him.  Apparently action is required of me, since I'm the mom (sometimes i forget when i am with my parents).  My mom walks up the side of the road to find a shady place for us to sit and be cool.  She returns to tell me there is an abandoned shack.  Meanwhile our angel Zoe has found a mechanic guy who will be to us in half an hour.  Turns out Zoe is a physician's assistant and Craig an EMT.  Not bad people to have on your side in an emergency.  Maybe you don't think so, but to me, this was a class A EMERGEN - CY.

At this point, The Lawnmower Man pulled up.  Which was probably good b/c we needed some levity.  This guy had a heart of gold, that much was obvious.  But you southern readers will recognize that some of your eccentrics don't speak the language well.  He was focused on the men tho, and told them he saw us drive by sparks a flyin' what the hell in tarnation, etc etc.  Knew he could catch up with us and help.  All of a sudden, Zoe and Craig are upon me.  They are telling me that the Lawnmower Man means well, they know him from church, but that, well, he is 'special'.  "He will offer to do the work on the car" Zoe says. "But your dad shouldn't let him," finished Craig.  We got the picture.  I hope I'm portraying him well....palm print button down shirt unbuttoned, workman dirt and oil stained hands, summer teeth (you know summer there, summer not),  but salt of the earth.  I respect a guy like this i do.  But you gotta see the humor somewhere.

So then Zoe told us there was an art shop a half mile away....she'd drive me and the kids there and we could at LEAST cool off there.  My mom finds this to be an excellent idea.  I am a bit nervous, not because i am getting into a truck with my 2 kids and a perfect stranger, but b/c I am leaving my poor parents on the side of the road with my Jeep.  Are you sure about this??  They were, but i must say i felt awful leaving my parents to deal with this mess. 

Zoe drops me and the kids off and walks in with us.  I tell her we'll be fine, and she was going back to help my parents and get her husband.  Art shop huh?  I take one look around and realize.  This ain't no art shop.  The sign says "Stained Glass, Art and Antiques Shoppe"  Has anyone heard the phrase 'bull in a china shop'?  Then you've met my 2 yr old Nicholas. 

I'll have to continue this saga later.....it gets better..........