Too Much Good Luck. Again.

I'm not sure why, but I've been way too lucky lately. It's counter-intuitive, I know, considering that a month ago I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. But synchronicities and coincidences abound, and not just when I'm reading entrails and looking for omens either. Today, for example: too much good luck, even though there's enough bad luck to almost make it a tossup between a half-full or a half-empty glass day. I choose the full glass.

True Confession #1: I'm an idiot. I hit a parked car today, and not just a little bit. I scraped the crap out of the entire right side of my car, spanning about 3 snap-n-fit Camry panels. The other guy's car got off easier, but his headlight still got peeled out of his front bumper. Being ridiculously honest as usual, I left a Sorry note with my phone number and insurance policy number.

I should explain that I don't usually go around getting into accidents. In fact the only other time in 30 years I hit a car was another parked car. I guess it's the moving targets that are harder to get. Both times I did this I was sick. I'm going to blame it on chemo-brain. Just because I can.

It's got to cost $2-3000 to replace all those panels (no one actually fixes bodies anymore). So I get home and call my new insurance guy, the one who's replacing the old retired guy, and I'm surprised to find he's pretty cool. My end of the conversation went kind of like this: Let's just pretend that I hit a parked car today, and that I pretended to scrape the crap out of my car and damage the other guy's car too. Would my premiums increase? Would the DMV find out? His response: I have a buddy named Craig who takes care of my customers a lot. He might be able to buff things out really nice, or at least give you a good price, not all padded like other shops. Cool.

I go outside and take another look at the side of my car and what do you know, most of the scrape is paint and rubber and looks like it might come off. I call Ralph, my car detail guy who lives out of town, and he just happens to be driving on the freeway, one exit away from my house. He comes right over, says no problem, and right then and there washes and waxes the whole car, buffing out 95% of my scrape. $60. I can live with the minor dimpling.

It gets better. The guy whose car I mashed left me a message to call him, and when I do, it turns out that he's a really nice 82-year-old man who wants to help me avoid involving the insurance company! I give him the number for Craig, the insurance guy's body shop buddy, and tell him I'll have Ralph wash and wax his car right at his house after his car gets all fixed. It might cost me more than my $500 deductible to fix his car, but probably not much more, plus my premiums won't be increased.

The old man likes me so much he chats about kids and his grandchildren for 20 minutes on the phone with me. Heck, the way my luck's going, I may just have found a boyfriend.