Magic of Hybrids

I walk out of Seasons Bistro where I had lunch with two of my high school girlfriends and use my automatic car door opener.  I try the door and it’s locked.  I push the button several more times, but nothing happens.  I open the car using the key and watch as one friend parked next to me takes off.  The other friend left by the front of the restaurant.  I insert the key and try to start the car and nothing happens.  I try a few more times.  It’s dead.  I panic.  I grab my cell phone, which fortunately still has some battery life and call Alan.  Thank god he answers.  He’s surprised the car is dead and asks if I left the lights on.  OMG, yes I did.

Now this is the real story – It was raining lightly on the way to Springfield so I had to use my wipers and turned on my lights.  I was feeling kind of self-righteous because I heard something on NPR about a law requiring folks to use lights when the wipers are on.  Really, we all should because it can be impossible to see an on-coming car or one you are catching up to in diminished visibility if it doesn’t have its lights on.

Alan said to wait a minute and try to start it again.  I did, but nothing happened.  He said he would borrow jumper cables and get there as soon as he could from Beavercreek.

My car, see photo above, is a yellow green 2000 Honda Insight hybrid.  I love it. I wanted a grey or red Insight.  Alan suggested that if I was getting a strange little hybrid, then I should have a strange color.  Yeah, but the green was so obvious and I couldn’t go unnoticed.  He said, “What do you plan to do, rob a bank or gas station?”  So I bought the green Insight.   I get 60 miles to the gallon.  I feel so environmentally righteous.  So this is the pay back for my self-righteous thoughts – a dead car.

But hybrids are magic.  I try again and it starts.  I call Alan’s office and they get him as he’s heading out the door.  I think it was the electric battery, which is fully charged, that got the car started.  Alan said probably trying to start the car began to recharge the battery.  Maybe, or maybe as I said hybrids are magic.  Oh, where’s my dog?  Magnum or Shadow ride in the hatch back or ride shotgun!