ROAD-TRIP BLOWOUT
“Everything is going to be fine... probably,” I reassured Mike as I witnessed his blood pressure rise as quickly as the temperature outside Santa Clarita, California. We shared a moment of stressed-out silence. The transmission was definitely shot. It was Sunday, so every repair shop was closed, and we were just far enough from home for the situation to be in the “really big problem” zone.
Mike and I were at the tail end of our first ever road trip together. We had started in eastern Washington State, where I collected a small pickup truck from my grandma. My grandpa had recently passed away, and
