Thursday, April 3, 2008

Interior Car Wash

Since we'll be going on a trip soon, and I'm kind of stressing out about all of the things that need to get done between now and the moment when my car pulls out of the driveway and heads south, I decided to get a car wash during my lunch hour. There's a place around here where it's not too expensive and for a few extra dollars you can get the interior cleaned out too.

So as I was waiting in the line up I scooped up the trash laying around that I could reach from the driver's seat, and tossed out my window into the garbage cans they have conveniently positioned for just that purpose. I wondered if the person in the car behind me noticed my skillfulness at getting half-full water bottles in on a rebound shot. Fun. When it came to be my turn the man came up and I told him I wanted the interior done. He told me to step out and he wrote a number two on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I walked into the little hallway they have where you can watch your car go by through the windows, I used to love doing that as a kid.

Moments later the front of my car appeared and the jets starting squirting their soapy water onto it. When more of the vehicle emerged through the plastic flap things, I noticed that my driver's side window was still down. I waited a second for the man to show up but then dashed back outside. He was sitting in the next car doing something. "My window is down!" I shouted to him, and pointed. He popped up and then went leaping into the car wash, and wiggled into my car just in time to get the jets of soapy water streaming right into his face as he held down the button and waited for the window glass to proceed slowly up.

Then he was stuck in there, because the big rotating brushes were now doing their thing. I kept walking alongside the car in the little hallway, trying not to make eye contact with him through the windows. When he got his chance he jumped out and had to go running back through the soaping part to where the next car was still waiting. They had to shut the whole car wash down for a minute and re-set everything.

Luckily, there wasn't too much wetness on the inside of my car, I think the man must have absorbed most of it. So I put a dollar into the tip box.

4 comments:

kid_curry said...

Just so you know you're not alone. My brother was driving my Honda Civic and we went through an automated car wash. I was in the passenger seat and Joe was in the back driver's side seat. Norm put the money in the machine and pulled forward commenting on how nice the day had turned out with out rolling the window back up. Just then the sprayers came on. They completely missed Norm and shot into the back seat, totally drenching Joe. Oh my God did Norm and I laugh. I'm laughing just thinking about it. Yet again another moment in Joe's life that he doesn't find half as funny as we do.

Heather Leigh said...

Great post, Mindy, However, I must say that it was Kendrea's comment that had me laughing OUT LOUD! The people in the Northwest World Club must think I'm nuts, and with my flight on an hour or more delay, that bit of hilarity is just what I needed!

Anonymous said...

The car wash guy is probably blogging about how he risked his life slipping through the car wash and being decapitated by machinery to close a car window. But he just got sprayed in the face with toxic soap instead. Then the customer wouldn't look him in the eye and gave him $1.
Mary Beth

Anonymous said...

A whole dollar?? And no direct thank you?? Believe me- you cannot go back to that establishment again.
Aunt Chris