A few weeks back I had the opportunity to go out with the full time missionaries in my ward. Although I wasn’t really feel like going out with them that day I understood since I had served a mission myself how hard it is for the missionaries to get members to help them when they need a chaperon. I told them I would the week before and I didn't want to cancel on them. We didn't have any success with getting to see the people the missionaries had set up appointments with, meaning we didn't get into anyone's house. Either no one answered the door or whom ever we were there to see was not home. As we were going to our last visit, I crossed Fair Oaks blvd at Sunrise east way and as I got across the intersection I started to hear a noise coming from the right rear tire. It was a rhythmic noise like something was hitting the wheel well. My first thought was I might have a flat tire but it didn’t feel like a flat, however I didn’t like the sound it was making so I pulled over and parked to take a look at my tire. It wasn’t full on dark yet but it was hard to see clearly as it was just dark enough to not be able to see clearly. We all got out of the car and looked at the tire, I could see something sticking out of the tire but it wasn’t flat. I went back around my car to get the flashlight I keep in the back seat on the driver’s side so I could see what was causing the problem. As I was on the other side of the car the sister missionaries felt the tire and discovered that we had come across a fork in the road.

Not only had we come to a fork in the road but it attached itself to my tire.

Word of advice when you come to a fork in the road don't run over it. I wish I could say I saw the fork but unfortunately I didn't. I reached down and tried to pull the fork out of my tire but one tine was stuck completely in and as I moved the fork I could hear the air escaping from the tire. We decided to just let it be until we finished with our appointment and then deal with the tire at that point. The person we were to meet with got called in to work so again our appointment fell through. We went back to the car and the tire was still holding air. I didn’t want to change the tire there as I was in a dress and didn’t feel comfortable working on my car on that street. We were only a few blocks from my apartment and I thought if I drive slowly we should be able to get home and I can change my clothes and tackle the poor deflating tire. As I pulled out on to Fair Oaks blvd driving really slow so the fork which was still hitting my car wouldn’t harm the car too much. I was only going 20 mph and could hear the rhythmic thumping of the fork going around with the tire however before I got up the road much farther the fork came out of my tire. At this point I thought now that the fork is gone the air will now flow freely from the tire and it will be flat soon. I then proceeded to drive a bit faster as I didn’t wish have a completely flat tire before I got home. We did make it back to my apartment and I parked in my space. The sister missionaries helped me get my spare out of the back as well as the jack and tools. I went into my apartment and changed in to more suitable clothing and had a rough time getting the lug nuts loose. I appreciate the fact that the lug nuts must be tight but when it comes to taken them off my hand I kind of wished they hadn’t been tightened by an air gun. We were successful at getting the tire changed and the spare mounted. My next project was to go get the tire repaired the next day. I told the missionaries this was a journal entry event, I mean how many people can say they came to a fork in the road and it deflated them. Or a fork in the road is not always something you want to find.

When I got to the tire store and told the guy at the counter I had run over a fork in the road, he said “Your kidding” I said “No I’m not” he then said “Well I guess when you come to a fork in the road you need to make a decision, left or right but not over.” Good advice. I wish I had an actually picture of the fork but it came out in the road and I wasn’t going to stop to try and find it. I just hope it didn’t get stuck to someone else’s tire.