STUCK IN A SEATBELT

My friend Phyllis gave Shae a coffee table to take with her up to school for her new apartment. A lovely marble table with solid iron legs. We tucked that puppy into the back seat of the car for transport. Lashed down by seat belts and pulled snug, we didn't want it flying into our heads should we stop fast, we were ready to roll.

We pulled into Eugene without incident and started unpacking. Shae and I got all the small stuff out and waited for Cephus, Shae's boyfriend, to come help us with the table. It is heavy as you can imagine and my back is not as strong as it used to be. Old.

As soon as Ceph arrived, he and Shae got to work. I stayed in the apartment to tidy up and put oodles of things away.

It was taking them a long time to get the table out I thought. I went out to the car and viewed an angry Shae (not a pretty sight). The table was half way out of the car and there was no more give in the safety belt. Zero. The table was stuck. Half in and half out with no way to move it at all. Nada.

I hate to admit it, but I was trying not to laugh at the situation the kids were in . . . Ceph trying to calm Shae down and she having none of it. So funny to me and not so funny to them.

Suffice it to say that Mom saved the day, so to speak, by calling the Nissan dealership in town and relaying our predicament to the kind man on the line (I think he was laughing too). He shared that we must cut the belt. No way to pull it out any further due to safety issues. So Ceph did the deed and told me to hold the belt while he and Shae took the table inside.

Yeah. I stood there for a minute and then I improvised. I tied a know in the belt and walked back to the apartment. Ceph's face was priceless. He thought I let the belt slide back into the seat. Now that I think about it. So what if it slid back. It was already cut and needed a new belt anyway. Hmm.

So off to the dealership we went, and that little ditty set us back about $120.00. Still cheaper than having it shipped up to Eugene.

Add it up to another Roderick taking-the-kid-back-to-college experience. This just happened to be one of the cheaper ones.