I Really Didn't Want To Know This....

I took my car in for it's usual oil change and check up on Saturday, knowing that I was going to spend quite a bit of money because my brakes also needed repairs. Again. Slamming on the brakes for every bicyclist that doesn't pay attention as he/she speeds through a Stop sign or red light really takes its toll after a few months.... The supervisor at the repair shop told me that the brakes and the oil change will take about two hours so I left my car with and said that I was walking over to Starbucks to get a snack and provided my cell phone number in case something happened.

As I'm enjoying my first bite of the cranberry orange scone, my phone rang. As it turned out, there was a tiny problem after they ran through the initial check on the car. I rushed back, and the supervisor ushered me to the work bay where my car sat looking sad and despondent: hood open, front tires removed, cables jutting from various parts of the engine. The supervisor reached into the engine and pulled out what I knew once used to be a clean, white air filter, now caked with months of dirt and...black clumps? I bent forward to get a better look and almost gagged. "Are those what I think they are?" I managed somehow to say while keeping the bile at the back of my throat.

"Yes, sir. Those are rat droppings." (I swear he almost smiled as he said it.) "Mice or rats have been running around your engine and under your dashboard."

My hand flew to my mouth. That would probably explain the burning-dog-hair smell I've noticed when I start my car in the mornings.

"Don't worry. They haven't made any nests, and the wiring checks out." He didn't even need to ask if I wanted it replaced.

Image from The Condenser.