I’m not usually one to show off my worldly possessions but the story behind how I got my new car is very amusing and feeds into my struggles with Asperger’s Syndrome. So, without any further pomp and circumstance, let me tell you my tale. Tale? This actually happened the way I’m going to describe it.
The original plan was quite simple. My step-daughter, Dale, was to drive me to a services outside of Nottingham where I was to meet her father. From there, he would drive me the rest of the way to Cleethorpes where I was to meet my other step-daughter, Georgina and her husband, Matt, pick up the car and drive it home. Well, it started okay, and we went about 25 miles down the motorway when we heard a loud pop from Dale’s car. She pulled over and I had a look under the car and discovered the radiator was leaking badly. She rang roadside recovery and after about an hour, they arrived and though there was a bit of hesitation as to what to do on their part, they did tow the car and drive us back home.
At this stage, I wasn’t too worried but anxieties began to grown when I got back home. I still needed to pick up the car and Dale was no longer able to drive. I suggested taking my old car. After trying to find other options, I decided it was best to take the train. If anything, the price of the fare nearly gave me a heart attack but I needed to go. So, I got the train but the train was a quarter of an hour late. This happened to be the case all over the rail network. I had to change trains twice and while getting to the station late increased my anxieties, they were quickly relieved when I got off and found my connecting train was also late. At least I was able to get dinner at Sheffield Station.
A hidden aspect which effects a lot of people with Asperger’s Syndrome is the appearance of how major mishaps don’t seem to phase them but slight mishaps send them spiraling. In this instance, all of the delays were taken in stride but when the train’s WiFi wasn’t working on the final leg of the train journey, I had to really concentrate not to go into a frenzy of swearing and throwing my I-pad against the wall. I will explain this further in a future post.
I arrived at Cleethorpes where I was met by Georgina who picked me up and drove me to her house. The car was waiting but I did have an hour long nap before heading back. I felt much more alert after the nap. Unfortunately, the trip home also brought about a couple more adventures. The first half of the return journey went swimmingly. Then my route was disrupted when they closed part of the motorway and I had to detour. Further anxieties came about when I wasn’t sure if I was going on the right road because the signs for the diversion weren’t clear. Therefore, you should be glad you weren’t in the car with me because my language was blue. The lack of information on the diversion made matters worse. I must have driven a good eight miles or so before I saw a diversion sign and realized I was on the right road all along. I was able to get back on the motorway after a brief stop at the services.
The journey again went very well after that, until I got about seven miles from home. Driving on the back roads, I encountered a suicidal fox. I saw it crossing the road so I hit my brakes so I wouldn’t hit him. However, the fox definitely had a death wish because he turned around and went back the other way. There was no time for me to do anything. I managed not to hit it with my tires or front end but when the fox ducked under my car, I heard a couple of light thumps so I know the car made contact. I couldn’t stop on the road, so I drove the rest of the way home and was greatly relieved not to see I hadn’t dragged the fox all the way home. The next morning, I had a look under the car and everything looked okay.
In the end, I got my new car and am loving it. However, all the pollava I went through to get it played havoc with my Asperger’s and DAMP. Hopefully, I won’t have any such high anxiety events for many more times to come.
To buy He Was Weird, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Was-Weird-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1909740942/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21MD4TFWPKSSK&keywords=he+was+weird&qid=1693161844&s=books&sprefix=he+was+wei%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-1
Or email me direct at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com