Knives or Nails

I have a small obsession with the cleanliness of my vehicle which manifests itself in life for a variety of reasons.   Sometimes I shampoo my vehicle more than once a week but don't get me wrong, with four kids, it's a mess an hour later.

So I pulled up to the vacuum to clean it out, took out all the garbage and went to the machine.  It was a new place.  I had never been there before.  This was no ordinary machine.  First of all I had 3 choices of pressure for the vacuum.  I had the option for shampoo right there.  Then something I had never seen before.  It was spray that you can use to make your vehicle smell like a new car or vanilla.

I was excited!

I noticed behind me that there was an older man, grey hair, bigger guy, and he was polishing his brown truck which clearly just came out of the car wash.

I took my toonie... um yes for those of you who are not Canadian, that's a $2 coin... I took my toonie and went to put it in the machine.  It wasn't going in so I thought perhaps it took loonies.... and once again that is a $1 coin.  Beside the vacuum was a place where you could get change but I didn't have any bills.  Considering there was change machine I assumed there must be an ATM around the corner so I walked to find it.  There was not.

I'm not the most patient person in the world and I am extremely frustrated by things that just don't make sense or don't work.  Why is there a change machine and no ATM?  Who carries bills these days?  Ok I do actually but I didn't have any with me.

So I return to the machine and try my toonie again and still, it does not work.  I get in my car and drive to the gas station and use the ATM.  I return to the vacuum and put my $20 into the change machine.  What comes out? Toonies!  Certainly the change machine makes the right change for the vacuum!

I go back and force my toonie into the machine.  This time it gets stuck.  Good grief already!  Now this machine has picked a fight with me and I won't lose!

I go and get a second toonie and try and use it to force the first one in.  It's not working.  In frustration I call out into the air "this stupid thing isn't working!"

The man behind me immediately springs to attention.  "What's the matter?" he says with his polishing cloth in his hand.

"I can't get this to work!"  OH! That was it!  I said the magic words!  I said that words that every man wants to hear.  I could have sworn his chest puffed up as he walked over, ready to rescue me!  He was wearing cowboy boots and I could see he was probably an old fashioned type of man... how shall I say.. a man's man.

"What's the problem?" he says.

"My toonie is stuck and I can't get it to work."

He tries to shove it in the same way I had and I want to tell him that I have already tried that but I don't want to take away the pleasure of his rescue.

Finally after a few attempts I let him know that I have already done it. It's only $2.  I'm not worried about the money. I just want to clean my vehicle.

He turns to me and in all seriousness says "I'll get my knife!"  He quickly walks towards his vehicle.

I laugh out loud and luckily it's loud enough that he doesn't hear me.  His knife?  He's going to get his knife?  This is his manly solution to my coin stuck in the vacuum?  I go through a quick number of possible scenarios that might play out and then I question whether I should let him know that I can probably pull the coin out with my nails.

I decide to interrupt his manly rescue and try to use my nails to pull out the coin.  It works.

"I got it," I called.   Part of me wished I hadn't because I was curious what he was going to do with the knife.  I couldn't help but think that this seemed like a manly answer to most any problem.  You know? Duck tape and a knife can pretty much solve any problem.

He points out another vacuum that is close to where I am.  He walks over and hold the hose for me until I park, puts my toonie in and hands me the vacuum.

"Thank you so much!" I say and he walks away with his chest still slightly puffed.

I am always fascinated by the differences between men and women.  What he would have solved with a knife I solved with my nails.  He would have solved it just as well, just with a different approach.

And what was he doing with a knife in his truck anyway?