On the loud side of bright

    'Mend and carry on', a little home-spun survival tip when dealing with things hardly bigger than a wool sock. Actually, don't sell old socks short.
I know I shouldn't have been driving the car any more than I should have, but 'shoulda, woulda, coulda', are the words of someone with a little peep, music lessons and an unreasonable desire to check out a near-by pet shop.
    She's the little peep in which adventures happen. A pair of crutches in the back was the result of her last one.
We putt-growled our way around until I chose a side road in which to turn around.
Pointed in the right direction, our less than aesthetically pleasing 'billy cart' car unleashed seven kinds of fury, pinning a pensioner protecting his garage, baring the last of his own teeth.
Little Peep put on her scratched, rose coloured glasses with one arm, and stared straight on.
     I don't know who I felt worse for?
I made my apologies, and propelled our monster noise out of the too small space, leaving a shattered gent with probably one less tooth for the experience.
Down hill from here, kiddo.
With every inch, we likened a twin engine by-plane dragging a shanty town behind.
Free wheeled around a round-about, then coasted to a stop down a more tolerant side street.
    Yay, we have breakdown....just call someone......card must be here.......wait.'
My older Peep at home. 'Hi, is there paper work for....well how 'bout next to my bed, in the nest of....
No? Book mark....ya, I remember now, that was to remind me to...
Ah, you're a good gal, cheers'. 
Once on the phone to the breakdown operator, 'What's wrong, well the muffler fell off......the muffler... you know, the muffler thing on the bottom of the car and on the road. I don't know what else to call it? The thing that keeps the engine from sounding like a speed boat slowly blowing up!' (What the hell is wrong with this woman, every one......) 'Oh, that sounds like it.....the exhaust. Yup. Well it's now on the floor.'
(Humble,) 'That's brilliant, an hour, and the sun is coming out.'
 Just time enough to nip around the corner get some warm, soggy chips and a bottle of something fizzy! Small Peep has worked her way through the other arm of said rose coloured glasses. From sheer painful anguish. I reflected that this whole episode could have kicked off at 60m.p.h. on the relief road and left us hanging by one tyre on the fly over.
 Also, I've seen this before, caused by separation anxiety from hand held games console. I must be compensating for mental anguish by actually agreeing to a cola. Bright sides have a valued place. Take care of that space.
     The kid burps like a viking.
The recovery man was not long in coming! He spotted us from half way down the road. With the occasional earth tremor after cola swig and the mangled metal that could have once been a motor bike under our 'billy cart'.
He could not dislodge the remains......The Peep took one more brave swig to bounce a few times.
We all agreed it was worth a go.
Sadly no.
But we did have a birds eye view from the cab of the lovely fella's cab as we dragged the monstrosity through town.
I felt like we were visiting dignitaries when he drove us home though our small village.
Cheers!
Love, Val.