Saturday our pickup decided it was time to make a nuisance of
itself and stop cold on the side of the highway. We already knew
something was not quite right when it had trouble getting cranked
earlier that morning and was being a pain when we were out doing
some shopping.
At first we thought it was bad fuel filter but it checked out just
fine. This after I had to push it to a parking spot in the parking
lot of Wal-Mart… Oh joy. Funny how people will drive by gawking
like idiots when you are having car trouble. 
After we got it cranked again we made one final stop before heading
home. At that point it seemed to have stabilized to a tolerable
level. It was still bucking and jumping like bronco to some degree
but at least it appeared to be able to get us home.
Nope.
About halfway home it decided it needed a break from all of this
running around. After fooling with it for a bit dad rolled his eyes
and offered a few choice words to the truck, the truck paid him no
heed of course. As we sat there throughly disgusted he ask if I had
my cell phone on me, I smirked. It’s one of the few items I don’t
leave home without these days. I whipped it out and tried to call
a friend that owns a wrecker. I got nothing. Then I looked at the
signal strength…
El ziltcho. De nada. I had two things, jack and sh*t and jack had
long since departed.
Naturally the truck picked a cell phone dead spot to take it’s
little break. I took a short hike up the hill we were under
in the hopes of picking up a signal. Again, I got nothing so turned
around to head back and give dad the wonderful news that we were
going to get some much needed exercise. In 90 degree weather. With
not a cloud in the sky.
So we started our little hike to the nearest town about 3 1/2
miles down the road. It struck me as funny at how many people
whizzed by us without as much as a backwards glance. Apparently
we are seedier looking than I had realized. We had just gotten to
the top of the hill as I commented on how generous the people of
Mississippi are when you are need when we spotted a white pickup
that had stopped up ahead maybe 100 yards. Then I noticed their
back up lights were on. Then I noticed the license plate; Florida.
It figures, a family from Florida on vacation stopped to help us
as residents of our own home state shot by like we were invisible.
They took us to the next exit which was within comfortable walking
distance of one of the local truck stops. After we hopped out of
bed of their truck and thanked them for their help I checked my
phone again…
Full signal strength.
Bloody naturally.
So I called the friend with wrecker only to discover he was halfway
to Memphis and wouldn’t be available for at least another hour.
No problem, there was another wrecker service I could call and
of course they were closed.
So we called home for my grandfather to come pick us up at the
truck stop. Luckily he was home and came to retrieve us in short
order. Dad asked him to take us back to the truck so he could retrieve a few things and he decided to give the truck one more
try.
It cranked.
Of course it cranked.
It could have done nothing else. 
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