Into each life some rain must fall… but I’d appreciate it if it didn’t fall into my car too

I did it—after all these years, I switched my auto insurance.  Bright & early Monday morning, I contacted Metromile and said I was ready to give their “pay by the mile” insurance a go.   My personal sales rep (Evan) said “Doug, great choice—you won’t be sorry!  We’ll get your Metro Pulse (the mileage tracker you plug into your car) in Express mail today, you’ll be covered effective Wednesday, June 29.”

So the morning of Wednesday June 29 (that would be yesterday) I climbed into my car & drove to the car wash.  I pulled into the next to last stall when I remembered the last time here, another customer had warned me this stall was dry for a reason, the hose was ‘flukey’.   As I’m backing out to get into the next one, the hose hanging overhead catches on my sideview mirror and it’s nozzle somehow whiplashed into my car’s back glass, smashing thru. 

I didn’t know what hit me, I thought someone had shot my rear window out.  I jerked to a stop in front of the rusty Problem?  Call 412-… sign by the coin machine, fumbled for a pen from my glove compartment and scribbled the number down on my hand.  I then took a deep breath and drove home as carefully as possible, as glass pebbles shook from my hair & from that jagged hole into my backseat.

When I got home & pulled into my parking space, ran upstairs and tried calling that number on my hand (and got no answer, I let it ring 30-40 times).  I then called my sister Shawn, while Mr. Winn (the Korean who lives up the hall) pounded on my door shouting “Neighbor!  Someone smash your car!”

I then called Safelight Auto expecting to hear “We’re on our way!” just like in the commercials--nope, the soonest they can get here is... Friday??  (But they did give me a better quote than I expected, $314.00 including cleanup & mobile service.)  I headed back downstairs with my camera & some towels, trash bags and packing tape, and prayed for no rain.

Before: 

That windshield sun-shade that’s been hiding in my trunk for the last 10 years has finally found some use.  As I laid it across, the rest of the pulverized glass gave way

 

 

After (Friday): 

Safelight’s expert repair, I couldn’t have asked for a more professional service.  After he left, I grabbed a couple buckets & gave the car some much needed TLC

So after all this, I come back upstairs to my apartment (to wait for the police to show up and arrest me for leaving the scene of an accident) and there’s a small brown package resting against the bottom of my front door—it’s from Metromile. 

The Metromile Pulse, my ‘Big Brother’ tracker.

I come inside, my answering machine is blinking.  Hi Douglas, Evan from Metromile!  Your Pulse was just delivered, get it plugged into your car right away & don’t get into any accidents your first day!  Ha ha, just kidding Doug… stay safe!

Okay.