Tense Trip to Halifax

Today I drove to Halifax for my interview for an internship. It was not the best of drives that I’ve ever had and it took much longer than I would have hoped. I got about a half hour out of Charlottetown when the hood of the car popped up out of it’s latch. I pulled over, pushed the hood back down and went back on the road. About 2 minutes later it popped back up. This is when I started to freak out a little. I have heard horror stories of people who’s hoods are blown right off of the front of the car, smash the windshield and fly right over the roof of the car. I slowed down my speed and pulled into the nearest gas station to take a closer look.

I learned that there are 2 latches which hold a hood in place and the main one was not holding for some reason. So I called Chris in panic asking what to do. He informs me that this is a common occurrence for the car (thanks for telling me!) and suggests coming back and borrowing a friend’s car instead. This is not feasible since all of my friends are either, a) off island for the break, or b) have cars because they need them. Then he says, “Oh it’ll be fine! Just drive slowly and that other latch will hold in place.” I decided the sit in the car on the brink of tears and decide what to do. Go back and find another ride? Take the risk and go for it? Abandon the car and hitch a ride from a trucker?

In fear of missing the interview, I got back on the Trans Canada and took the risk. And I was in sheer panic for a good hour before I decided that I was going to have heart failure if I continued to drive the whole way with the hood banging up and down, just waiting to break off and fly off the car. My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty and I was freaking out every time a large bump in the road made the car bounce up and down. I kept my eye out for mechanics or gas stations that had someone to help, but there just wasn’t anything around (especially since it was Sunday). Then I saw a sign for Amherst and thought, “Kaylynne’s grandparents live there and her grandpa works at a gas station. Maybe he can help!” So I called up Kaylynne and told her what was going on and she gave me directions on how to hopefully find her grandpa. But I had taken an exit which did not lead me in the right direction so I drove around in the wrong area for a good 20 minutes before the frustration sunk in and decided to turn around. I did a u-turn in a large driveway where three men were standing around smoking and having some beer. As I was about to pull out of the driveway I decided to get out and ask them if they knew where I could get some help with the hood. Thankfully I managed to pull into the driveway of three very helpful and mechanically knowledgeable bikers who tried their darndest to get that hood to stay in place. After many failed attempts (but really close!) they voted to use some wire to tie the hood closed so I wouldn’t have to worry. I am so grateful for their help. Nothing like some heavily accented Maritimers to step in and lend a hand to a lady in distress. Good ol’ Maritimers. Not once did the hood pop back up and I was able to make the rest of the drive at ease.

So now I’m at the hotel, in my room, letting my brain settle down. I just spent the last hour down in the swanky restaurant drinking Keiths, eating gourmet food and reading my book. It was nice. I felt very grown-up sitting down there alone, enjoying the food and view from the restaurant.

I’m nervous about tomorrow because I don’t know what to expect. Interviews are evil and mean, especially when you’re the kind of person (me) who can never think of the right thing to say until it’s too late. I wish I didn’t fall on my head so much as a kid.

Tip of the Day: The only bad thing about getting a tattoo (apart from the fact that you may hate it in a few years) is the itch. Oh man, the itch sucks!