Car Trouble

I just wanted to share a story that happened a few weeks ago.  

 

It was a Wednesday after school let out, and four other SMs and I were driving back to the academy in Mr. Sanchez’s car.  Jason (the computer/math/ESL teacher at PMA) was driving.  We had just left the “All Stars” basketball game in the gym, which pitted teachers against some of the older students.  It was fun and all (the teachers actually ended up winning), but we were ready to head back after a full day at school.  So with a car and a driver, we were on our way.

 “I’m not crazy about this car,” said Jason.  It was making weird noises.

A little while later, he said, “The brakes just went for a minute…they’re back now.”

I wondered if there was something wrong with the car.  But Mr. Sanchez wouldn’t have told us we could drive it if it was malfunctioning…he always made sure we were safe.  We didn’t think too much of it, since it was just a little glitch.

We had passed the airport and were almost back to the academy, and were talking and laughing like normal, when Jason said calmly, “Okay, hold on guys.  We’re going to make this corner without brakes.”

“What?” said the rest of us.  “Are you kidding?”

“I’m serious,” said Jason.

Straight ahead was a steep hill, and to the right was a sharp curve to turn onto the road to PMA.  We weren’t going too fast…but it was fast enough. 

“Ahhh!” 

We swung around the corner past a wandering dog and hit the bumpy dirt road.  The rocky terrain and the speedbumps slowed us down, and Jason expected to come to a stop right by the Sanchez house.  But then the car kept going…

In front of us was another hill which led right down to the academy.  We looked over and saw the Sanchezes standing by their house staring at us open-mouthed.

“Take the wheel,” said Jason, hopping out of the car.  He ran out and made a valiant effort to stop the car, but it was a lot heavier than him.

“He’s going to get run over!”

Kabrina and Paige grabbed the wheel and steer the car left until it rolled onto the grassy bank.  It came to a stop just before it hit a hibiscus bush and a palm tree.  

Then we clambered out, laughing nervously and trying to explain things to the Sanchezes, who came running up in astonishment.

“What happened?!”

We explained over and over again, filling in the details and trying to collect ourselves.  We could smell the brakes, and Jason said the emergency brake hadn’t worked either.  Of course Mr. Sanchez hadn’t known that there was anything wrong.  He and Mrs. Sanchez had just come out of their house to throw away some trash, and had looked up to see us meandering back and forth and rolling closer and closer to the hill.

“At first I thought you were being silly, but then I saw you jump out of the car…”

At any rate, we were perfectly fine.  We stood there for a while, talking and trying to make sense of it, and then had a prayer of thanksgiving that no one was hurt.  Mrs. Sanchez invited us in, told us to relax, and made us fried rice.  

All’s well that ends well.  I don’t know exactly what happened, but I do know that God took care of us, and that Jason did an excellent job staying calm and steering the car.  That vehicle has since gone to the repair shop for a loooong time.

That’s all for today’s episode of “Mission Palau.”  Tune in next time for another hair-raising adventure, in which the missionaries swim with sharks and get stung by baby jellyfish (no really).  Good night.