SMOG test FAIL

 Now that I’m ‘home’ more often, I’m using my own car often. I love my car. If you’ve been with me for years, you’ll remember that I visualized my car to manifestation. That’s one of the reasons I’m so attached to it. I could’ve sold it when I got rid of my apartment to live in a truck. When I was over the road, I hardly came home, so I would do my errands wherever I would be when they came up. Same applies to chores.

Colombian Arepas that my friend made while I waited for mechanic to work on my car. 

My car was due for Smog test. That’s the emission test required for certain cars in California (don’t know about other states). I took my car a month early for the test. Fail! Shoot! Now, I’ve got a new problem! I asked what was wrong with the car that caused it to fail and if the smog guys could recommend a mechanic. They told me that, by law, they’re not allowed to recommend a mechanic and I can read the printout they gave me to see what errors they got from my car. These guys were not here for any of my issues! I come from such a helpful, kind background where they want to make sure you’ve been helped. Also, everybody knows a mechanic where I come from, so this started such a frustrating journey for me. No one knows a mechanic! I guess everyone drives a newer, under warranty car in these parts. I would even approach guys who do construction or who do landscaping; they don’t know anyone who works on cars either. I don’t know if they thought I was profiling them cos they were Latinos but that’s not what I was doing. Chances of a guy who works blue collar job knowing another blue collarer are higher than me going to ask a CEO of Apple if they know a guy who can help my car pass a smog test. Or maybe I was profiling them! Whatever! My ex was blue collar; he had his own tree trimming business. All his friends had their own blue collar businesses. Half these guys were white, the other group was a mixture of Latinos and Asians. No profiling. I’m defending myself as if the guys told me why they weren’t helpful smdh. Luckily, a lady I know knows a guy from where she lives. I made arrangements with this guy. This became a long strenuous process, involving paying someone and feeling like you’re getting nothing return and still failing smog! I ended up with a list of things that needed to be fixed where he was happy to take care of them. We did a few things and I was not getting anywhere near passing this fcking smog test! I’m not trying to do full service on a vehicle I drive 10 miles per month! I just want to be able to drive it legally! Can we stop with the bottomless money pitting? 

I had already paid for car registration online. I just wasn’t going to get my new tags without having passed SMOG. I also subsequently had paid for smog but he wasn’t going to pass me until I qualified. The smog place will let me come back and pass for free, having already paid the first time. O just wasn’t up to par. Then I got check Engine light. Then it went away! Then I was told to fix this, how bout that, and that? Nope! It was an endless saga that was so stressful. I ordered parts from Amazon, paid to have those replaced! Nope! At this point, I was scared to drive my car, so I was running errands with the truck. Once in a while, I’d feel good vibes and drive my car for old times sakes. Once, I had cops right behind me. I swear they even did the blue lights. I was getting ready to pull over, with my heart thumping so vigorously when they passed me. None of this sht is worth that feeling! I thought to myself. I mean! I don’t owe anybody! Matter of fact, all these people owe me! 

I stopped worrying about the car. My ex husband, Calvin had been wanting to buy my car for a while. Let him worry about all this! Thing thought, is that the warning light will reduce the price of car. I told him about it and asked how much he was willing to pay. At this point, I just wanted to let that whole heavy energy around the car to go. Cal was like, why don’t I come pick up the car this weekend. I got excited. Weekend came and I remembered who I was dealing with. Someone who on the moment will say anything to make you feel excited so that he can be the hero. No execution whatsoever. Never! Ever! When I remembered that, I didn’t feel bad! I hd played my own self. I knew who he was. The car was priced to go. I wasn’t losing for not selling it to him. At least I still had a car. Calvin knows people. He’s the tree trimming ex mentioned above. He told me he was going to text me info of people he knows who he talked to about fixing my car. When I brought that up weeks later, he had no idea what I was talking about. Then he has a friend who’s very good with cars who can do my spark plugs for $1200. This friend is supposedly affordable, according to C.  I must be really stingy, cos that sounds steep to me (R17400). I told him I wasn’t willing to spend that much. 

I let the car sit there and lived my life. Since the pandemic started, I was using my Land Rover as a cupboard. I stored my junk food in there which I snacked on on my off days. That way, I wasn’t tempted while out there. I could be good on my diet for a week and treat myself on weekends! 

I still had snacks from the time the company gave us a ton of supplies when the pandemic hit. They were very good to us! Most terminals across the country supplied drivers with care packages. Being a cross country driver at the time, I had the advantage of being able to go to different terminals and collect any and everything I wanted. I got giant boxes of laundry detergent, packs of toothpaste, deodorant, peanut butter, cans of tuna , chicken, protein and breakfast bars, nuts, you name it. I took some of my stuff and put in transparent bags and placed on benches in rest areas for people who may be in need of them. I would write: FREE on a piece of paper and stick on the packaging. I did offer other drivers if I bumped into them and felt like sharing. I once greeted a driver in cowboy boots and a western hat. I was going to share some of my package with him. He blatantly ignored me! It was just he and I walking facing each other. I was a bit bummed but it was a chance for someone else to get the goodies. I also had a few loaves of bread in there. They really gave us good stuff! Some of the stuff, I recognized from Costco. When I was back in Cali, they had supplies that I recognized from the 99 cents store. I’m not even kidding! I’m thankful for all! The stuff I kept for myself lasted forever! I also was learned that chips / crisps must be made of stone cos they stay fresh forever! Even if you live the package open! That made me very suspicious but it didn’t make me stop eating junk food. 

My main errands that I was able to run by dropping the trailer and taking the truck with me were: going to storage to swap clothing, laundry, groceries at Walmart and or Aldi, Costco.  All these places have truck parking for deliveries. I knew this for a fact, so I knew there would be roads that had high enough bridges to access them. I would also go to the 99 cents which was on the same street as my Mail box. I love going to Ontario, they have everything I need in a few blocks.

Work, was easy, I picked up from the same place but would use different routes to go to the different Costos; the 101 freeway, which has the best views! You can’t beat ocean views! Santa Barbara, The works. I’d go as far as San Francisco for 5am deliveries. 5 and The 99 via Bakersfield. I got used to these routes and had my stops depending where I would end up. Some of them didn’t have good Internet, some had free wifi. You make it all home! 

@BabalwaBrook

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