The Three Musketeers

To continue….After I had pulled onto the spur road, and Rosie and Jason left, I started making phone calls to the RV dealership I wanted it towed to. I also made contact with the tow truck company and the driver…Quintin. We ended up phoning each other quite a bit as to where I was and where the RV was going and the condition of the RV so he knew what kind of vehicle to bring to tow it. So pictures went to him as well. Thank goodness for smart phones!!!

In the meantime, different cars would stop. Most people were in the 50s-70s. They asked if I needed help. They recommended mechanics in the area if I needed one, they commiserated on their own RV stories.

One guy and his wife was funny. He shared that they used to RV but never traveled more than 100 miles from where they lived. But “every time we went somewhere, something went wrong with the RV! Every…single…time.” I shared that I guessed I was lucky, because I’ve traveled thousands of miles and this is the first problem that happened with the RV. Little things you expect. (The new roof doesn’t count, because I dragged the roof on a low tree branch that was huge. Not the RVs failure!!

Another guy probably in his 50s said he was a mechanic. Got out and assessed the tire and axle. Stated he could probably fix it. I pretended to think about it, but said because of my insurance I had to take it in. And I already had a tow truck on the way. One thing he said that I did take note of and remember:

“There is nothing wrong with the axle. Don’t let them sell you an axle.”

How prophetic he turned out to be! Because that is exactly the “precautionary plan” that the RV dealer brought up!

THE MUSKETEERS

Then 2 older guys showed up, looked it over and called their friend who is a mechanic. They were not leaving. They all looked it over again and were commiserating with their mechanic. They could work at getting the parts back on, get me on the road with my spare tire , just without the brake pads. I guess they must have thought I didn’t have options. …(Thank you, BUT I don’t even know who you are! I have no idea as to your actual mechanical abilities. And I don’t just want to get back on the road, I want it fixed. All of it !) So here comes the diplomacy.

So who were these guys? The first two were “Kick” (last name) and Dennis. The mechanic’s name is Randy. Now it turns out Randy does have a repair business right down the road. Another couple that drove by earlier did mention his name as a local mechanic. So he was legit. To what extent he made repairs, I did not know. So…I made it nicely clear that I would have to work with my insurance, and that it was already arranged to have the RV towed to an RV repair business in Corpus Christi. I pointed out that I also had damage to the siding of the RV as well and that had to be taken care of ,too.

So, their attention turned to what else they could do to help. The one thing they were concerned with, is that the part left on the axle would drag when towed and get destroyed. So they wanted to remove it.

So Randy went back to get some tools, and Kick had some tools along, so they went at it. They worked for nearly 45 minutes to get the pieces off. The “cap” was probably fused to the axle with the heat, so they had their work cut out for them. I watched at times, and let them go to it after they explained their idea.

I have to say that Dennis and Kick were also entertaining. Within 20 minutes I learned that Dennis was Kick’s father-in-law. I earned from Dennis that Kick would drop everything if his wife called Kick for help. But when he needs help? Different story. Then he related a short story about Kick taking his time and he had to wait ALL DAY for him to show up to help. I laughed and said, “Are you guys already telling me family secrets???” They said it’s no secret! They shared some more of their fre-enemy stories. I asked how far apart they live from each other? 10 miles. ” Far enough so that we can take our guns and shoot at each other! !! ” Good grief!

In the meantime I sent pictures to Quintin and asked him if that part needed to be removed. He stated he could probably chain the axle up enough so that it would not be a problem. But it didn’t deter them.

The three musketeers had thought of doing that as well, but the bottom of the RV is sealed and no cross support pieces are accessible. Quintin said he was sure he could do it. The guys were skeptical.

Now, I’m not sure if it’s because this is Texas, or it is just these guys….But Kick and Dennis had a can of beer in their hand inside of a coozy the entire time. When it went dry, they replaced it. I bet they were there for two hours!! Dennis never lifted a finger. He was the oldest and the supervisor. After awhile I told them it was OK if they needed to go…I understood. I also lamented that I did not have a single thing along that I could offer them…no snacks, no beer, etc. Nothing! True story! (I didn’t think they were the ice-cream type.)

Kick said, “Listen, there’s something you don’t understand. We don’t leave someone if they need help. We stay and help no matter how long it takes.” And that they did not need anything in return. …What can I say to that?

(Before they left & after the tow truck driver came, Kick did whisper that if I wanted to give anyone anything, to give it to Randy. So I did. He didn’t want to take it until I told him to buy a round of drinks or burgers for all of them… Then the other two teased him of course.)

Then Quintin arrived with his Big Ass truck! Really! Awesome! Serious stuff here! The musketeers were impressed with the truck as well! He and I talked and he assessed the situation. The guys watched with interest as he was able to chain up the axle. He said he had to do it not just to protect the plate, but to balance the weight back on all the axles. You could visually see the difference as the RV straightened out. He was able to make the vertical available beam work. 👍

At his direction, I got my RV unhooked from the truck and resting on it’s jacks. It took some time for him to get everything in position and everything hooked up, probably an hour.. That was quite the truck, with a lot of necessary bells and whistles. The men watched the whole thing, except for Randy. He had a wife who was expecting him. The other two stayed to watch…and said their wives wouldn’t care! (I believe them!)

Quintin and I were going to join up on the way down to Corpus Christi after I stopped at a Sonic to get something to eat and a big drink for him. Well…I should have looked where Map Quest thought “stop on the way” was!! I probably went a 1/2 hour out of my way!! Ended up in Beeville, Texas. I actually had to ask the server at Sonic what city I was in!!! I had no idea where I was.

I ate on the way and arrived at the RV dealer about 15 minutes before he did. He was very solicitous with the RV and took his time driving down. We talked, unloaded, signed papers, paid and he was on his way. He was a very nice guy to work with!!

There I was, in the parking lot of the RV dealership. All the RVs for sale and repair were fenced and locked in. There were bars across the windows and door. 🤔 Across the street there were modern, low cut small businesses. I was assured by the Service Department that this was a small industrial park area, well patrolled, safe and on a dead end street. If there was any traffic on the road, it was because there was a car shop down the street and the guys often test out their cars. Sure enough, I saw a small pick-up go by later with blue lights underneath and heard tools clanking periodically.

By this time, I didn’t care!! I just wanted to go to sleep! I liked being right there in front of their door. First thing, after that sign said “Open” I was going in! Since it was the 24th the next day, and Christmas Eve, they were only going to be open for 1/2 day. I was very glad they were going to be open at all!! A lot to take care of in a short amount of time.

Meanwhile, Mathew checked out a few hotels in the area and gave me 2 that were good, were suites with breakfasts, and nearby. Bingo!! It was 1:00 a.m. before I got to bed and had my suitcase packed, computer, charge cords, paperwork, cat food and groceries ready that I would have to take along. Good night!!