Maybe Val Can Hire an UberCopter

The Pony starts work at 8:00 a.m. By 8:05 on Monday, I had a text:

"Might not make it to Walmart after work. [He was going to pick up some flavored waters for Hick.] Got a completely flat tire just out of my driveway, and no guarantee Dad will see the texts and be able to fix it."

"He will be at Back-Creek Neighbor Bev's house until 2:00. Can you get to work?"

"I didn't get out to check until I was at work."

"Okay. I'll send him a text, and start trying to call around 1:00. What about the key?"

"Ah. He probably left the spare at home since he's already gone."

"I could take it to him if I can find it. Is your pump thing in the car?" [The one that runs off the cigarette lighter, that I bought The Pony for Christmas while he was in college.]

"The pump thing's in it, but I'm not sure if it's in the front or the back. I'll check before I leave. I'll be in Backroads today, and I'll ask to be off by four, but highly doubting it."

"I can leave the key at your back door, and Dad can get it when he drops off his Old Man Buddy. I hope Dad checks his texts."

"Worse case, I just throw my stuff in the locker and walk home. Or ask for a ride considering how close I am."

"Found a clicker. No actual key."

"Make sure it's the oval fob, and not the old one from the last car. The key is in the clicker."

Then started the quest to contact Hick. In the middle-er of nowhere, no one can hear you text. I finally got him on the phone at 1:35. He said he'd meet me at Pony House and get the key, and go get Pony's tire fixed. Which he did, after causing a kerfuffle at the Walmart automotive department.

The tire supposedly had a leak around the sensor. No idea what made it suddenly go flat overnight. Hick got it back to the post office before The Pony finished his shift.

Another emergency averted, thanks to Val's go-betweening coordination of the parties involved. Good thing. Hick said on the phone that he had not seen The Pony's texts.