While my first day back in Canada was certainly lovely, the second was easily the most dramatic. Unfortunately, this was not the fun kind of drama, and it was more than a little scary. 

After I woke up on my friend’s couch, I started heading back home. I planned to regroup, freshen up, and then would go back out to meet her once again. Today, one week before the wedding, was her bachelorette party, and it seemed to be an almost all day event. 

Our first stop was a cidery out in Abbotsford, which is about 45 minutes from my house in Surrey. I went to college out in Abbotsford for 2 years, and I have some family out that way, so it was a little nostalgic to drive out there again. I found the cidery easily, but wasn’t quite sure who I was looking for. 

When my friend originally asked me to be a bridesmaid, there were 5 of us. Since then 2 dropped out, and several more people were added. All together, I had heard there would be 9 bridesmaids. I really wasn’t sure who was even in the wedding party, so I mostly stood around awkwardly and hoped to see someone I knew. 

It was weird being home since, for the first time in years, I didn’t have data. I didn’t want to bother/pay for a new sim card or a plan for just 10 days, so I went without any data or service. Not having data is always a swift reminder on just how much we rely on the internet for everything. I had no way to contact my friend, and it left me feeling a bit vulnerable. 

Thankfully, I found someone else looking lost, and it turns out we were waiting for the same person. We did some quick introductions, met someone else here for the same reason, and grabbed a table. By the time we got up for drinks, almost everyone had arrived, and the party started in earnest. 

We got some cheesy bachelorette party gear to put on, had some drinks, and even got to pet some goats. This cidery was also a farm, and had some cute goats in pens nearby that we could pet. We had to be careful not to let them escape, and herding goats is more challenging than you’d expect. All told though, it seemed like a great start to a bachelorette party. 

After about 2 hours here, it was time to start the next phase of the party. We all split up to grab some things and get ready to meet back at the bride's place. We were supposed to bring things to each make a drink for her, but since I’d barely been back in the country, I asked if I might get a pass. 

I headed back home to get ready for the rest of the night. We were supposed to dress somewhat scandalously, and since I wouldn’t be coming with a drink in hand, I at least wanted to nail the theme. On the way home, I noticed the car was driving pretty strangely. 

I had driven it yesterday, and it was a little noisy, but I figured that was because no one had been driving it regularly for a few months. Today though, the steering was off. I hit some traffic, and when I drove slowly, the wheel seemed to bounce left and right in a weird jerky motion. The noises never quite went away either. 

I had thought about bringing this up to my mom, but in my mind I just assumed they had made sure there weren’t any problems with the car. I was also in a bit of a rush to get ready. While we’re making excuses, I’m sure the lack of sleep wasn’t helping either. 

Once I finished getting ready, I got back in the car, and headed off to my friend’s place. The weird noises were still present, and I tried to think of what they could be. Since I was on the highway, the steering was less of an issue, and I just hoped I could get to my friend’s place, and address any weird car issues tomorrow. 

While I was driving, the RPM meter had a big dip, and I got a bad feeling. Shortly after, there was a loud bang, and I knew the shoe had dropped. I hit my hazards as quickly as possible, and tried to ease on the brake as I moved toward the shoulder of the road. The car wasn’t too hard to control, but I knew there was something majorly wrong, even if I didn’t know exactly what it was. 

I safely pulled over the shoulder of the road, and realized the car was at an angle. The car was tilted down towards the passenger side wheel. I had been in the left lane, so I ended up on a narrow shoulder on the left side of the highway. Cars continued to whiz by as I struggled to compose myself.

I’d never been in this situation before. I’ve never had major car trouble while driving that left me in this sort of position. To make matters worse, I didn’t have data, or cell service. I got out of the car, and tried to inspect it. Something was off on the passenger’s side, but I couldn’t tell what exactly. 

I considered trying to flag someone down, if for no other reason than to borrow their phone and try to call my parents. As I stood outside my car and considered this, I soon became acutely aware of my “scandalous” attire. I shyly tried to cover up a bit, and debated what to do. I had taken my phone off airplane mode, but it had yet to connect to any service, so I couldn’t make calls. 

As I went back and forth, I checked my phone once again, and it had connected. I called my dad, and communicated my situation. He told me he would call for a tow truck, call my mom, and call me back. A few minutes went by, and he called me back. It helped me calm down some to know that help was on its way. All I could really do at this point was wait anyways, so I started listening to a podcast. 

About 20 minutes later, my mom showed up. I got in the car with her, and then realized she was freaking out more than I was. By now I had mostly gotten used to the cars zooming by, but it was brand new to her, and she was not happy about it. 

It was an understandable panic certainly, we were on a narrow shoulder of a busy highway. The other cars were hardly even slowing down as they passed us. There was little we could do but wait though. Thankfully, a tow truck showed up sooner than expected. 

Turns out, someone had called 911, and reported my car on the highway. They then contacted a local towing company, who had dispatched someone. I was in a bit of a dangerous spot, but no one in my family had thought to call 911. None of us had been in this position, so we hadn’t thought to call. Good to know for next time, though I hope I never need to do it.

They went through some logistics, before starting to load the car on the back of his truck. As he began to load the car, the passenger side wheel began to wiggle more and more out of place. Eventually, the whole damn wheel fell off! I felt reassured about my decision to pull over. This whole thing could have been so much worse, and I was endlessly grateful it wasn’t. 

While I had been waiting, I tried to get in touch with my friends to let them know what was going on. I got a call back from the future groom, who told me the rest of the group was loading up into a limo to go downtown. I told him what was going on, and said I would meet up with the rest of the group when I could. 

After sending the tow truck to an auto shop in Surrey, my mom dropped me off downtown to meet up with my friends. The rest of the night was plenty of fun, and I really hadn’t missed much at all. It was an excellent Bachelorette party, and the night ended with me sleeping on my friends couch once again. 

While it was a lot more dramatic than I expected, I’ll always be glad things weren’t worse. This was the first time I’ve had to pull over on the highway, and I sure hope it never happens again. It also goes to show that you never quite know what to expect. 

I just thought my day would be celebrating with the future bride, and mostly it was! It was also a bit of unpredictable car trouble, and while it could have ruined the day (for me anyways) I wasn’t going to let it. Life is random, and often takes you by surprise. Being able to roll with the punches is maybe one of the best skills you can learn.