I needed a new radio in my car. I wanted to have auxiliary so that I could listen to my music on my ipod. I love to put it on shuffle and see what it comes up with.
So, I ordered a car stereo from Amazon for 28 euro. It showed up yesterday in a wilted wet box as it must have been in the rain...everything here is wilted and wet.
I thought...I can put this in myself so I opened the box and took a look at it. When I read the manual, the first line said something like...
You fool, don't even attempt this on your own, have a professional do it.
So, last night, in the dark, in the rain when I drove into town to meet a fried for a beer, I asked my go to Bricolage man, Jackie, if he knew how to install a simple car radio.
*****note> all conversations were in French, I am proud to say, maybe not the best French on my part.
Anyway, he seemed to say yes. As I was leaving, he introduced me to Patrick who worked on cars...a garagiste. Patric is a diminutive man, in his 40's, wearing a red slicker with a phone bud in his ear and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. We had a chat about what I needed and he asked me when I wanted him to do it. It turned out that since I had it in the car, he would do it right there and then, in the pouring rain, in the dark. I got in my passenger seat and held his iphone that was on flashlight mode. He told me that I was very "gentile", basically nice, for helping him.
Voila, it went in, but Patric needed to put a new case around the outside so we agreed to meet at 10 am the next morning. He took my phone #.
This morning, he called me and we met in the parking lot in town that is always a buzz of activity. Patric was waiting for me with Jackie. Right there, right then, he finished the job. I asked him...oh, btw, I have an emergency brake ( frein) light problem. He popped the hood and went right to the emergency brake fluid. He got a can of 55 oil out of his trunk, poured it in, needed more, saw a friend in the parking lot, asked him if by any chance he had any 55 oil....the guy searched through his truck and found some....we used all of that...and voila, it solved the problem.
I will have you know that my usual mechanic told me he could not fix that problem...my car was too old and the computer would not work on it so he could not help me.
This guy fixed it right away...
oh, by the way, do you have a bulb for my car clock? Since I bought that car, there has been a big gaping hole in the dashboard where the clock should go.
I asked my garage guy..2x NO, I am not ordering a box of bulbs for one clock. I went to the local automotive store, NO, and they tried, I stopped at a Land Rover dealership in Modena Italy...NO, we are out.
So I bought a big wall clock that sits on the floor.
Patric laughed when I told him all of the No's I got. I opened a little box and out came 60 or so bulbs. I agreed to let him take the clock and get back to me. It's a beautiful day ...one day between the last 4 days of rain and the next 4 days of rain. I didn't want to have him looking for a tiny bulb.
It's funny, since I have known Jackie, the bricolage man, since the first day I moved here, we have this relationship where he translates what other people say for me...but, he doesn't speak english. ..but I usually understand him. I don't think he even understands what's going on. I don't know it's that he speaks slower or makes the words more simple or perhaps because he is always a little tipsy, but it works. I also speak to him in my French and he translates to other people. It's crazy.
Anyway, I have found a new mechanic ( He didn't even want to charge me, I insisted that he take money.), I succeeded in getting my car fixed, all in French, I learned a few new words and I am able to give you proof of how nice french people are. Also how dynamics are in a little village where people help each other out expecting nothing in return.
This all took place under a massive tree whose profuse leaves were all banana yellow against a brilliant blue sky.
Ahhh......France.
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