The Miracle

A miracle happened for Tim. He has been working at fixing his truck for weeks now. Replace a part. Study the situation. Watch a few you tube videos. Buy another part. Replace the part. Study the situation. Watch a few more videos. Repeat the cycle over and over.

He is very patient. Very methodical. Still  truck was not right. 

As weeks went on, privately I worried. Sometimes he struggles since his stroke and because he is quiet, I don't always see it, and let's get real here: even if I did realize he was having a problem, it was not a problem I was going to be any help at all with. 

So I fretted as the weeks went by. I told myself that puttering on the truck was a good brain exercise for him, just like crosswords were good exercise for my brain, but then I heard him tell a friend 'I have gotten myself into a real predicament with that truck.' 

He sounded a bit discouraged. 

Later, I asked the question: "what if you can't fix that truck?" 

He said. "I don't know. I never had it happen before. 

And to be fair, this is true.

Today, I heard his truck running. I just assumed it was the '82 Chevy truck and wondered where he was going. I looked out the window and realized it was the new old truck running. It sounded just as smooth as the old old truck. I watched him standing there listening to it. He hopped back inside and revved it a few times. No miss. 

He shut it off. Tinkered. Started it back up. Revved it. Listened. Finally he shut it off and closed the hood. He walked back to the house with a jaunty little bounce to his step.  

"It sounds good," I said cautiously. 

He washed his hands, and went back out to take it for a test drive. 

He seems to have fixed his truck.