Here's my version of the story. Late Saturday morning I learned that, unexpectedly, I needed to drive to Buckingham County, Virginia, to pick up my partner, who was, again unexpectedly, driving her daughter home. My preferred route passed through Greg's neck of the woods, and I was hoping that on the way back we could call Greg to see if he would like to meet for a quick bite to eat.
However, my plan was dashed when, halfway between Roanoke and Lynchburg one of my tires went flat. Now the car I drive doesn't come with, or have space for, a spare; and I didn't have one. I called road-side assistance, and after a long hold and an even longer discussion, I learned that they didn't have anyone in the area to come fix the flat. It was Saturday night, tire stores in Roanoke were closed or closing.
I decided to call Greg, thinking that he may have some suggestions. He immediately gathered some tools and drove 45 minutes to my location. By then it was turning dark. We got the tire off the car, took it down the road to a gas station with an air pump, found the puncture, and then Greg plugged it. We then returned to my car, remounted the tire, and took the meetup picture, as required by club rules.
I drove on and picked up Diana, about four hours behind schedule at that point. We then headed back, picking up a couple hours of sleep at a rest area, and a few other rest breaks as needed, before finally getting home around mid-morning.
Greg saved the day. I don't know how things would have unfolded if it weren't for him. So the good thing about the flat was that I got to spend some time with Greg.
I may have cost him some sleep as he had worked the night before and was on-call for the weekend. Hoping he didn't have to go back to work after saving me.
I'm still groggy from lack of sleep, but so thankful that we made it back when we did, thanks to Greg.