"Prince's Towing, this is Tammy. How can we help you;" said a cheerful female voice.

I responded with "My name is Bill Eagle and my alternator isn't working and my serpentine belt is broken.  I am at the Warm Springs Museum parking lot and I need a tow…"  I gave her my AAA member number and all the specifics I could. 

"I hope that we can help you," said Tammy

I waited, and finally the tow truck arrived. 

It did not take long for the truck operator to get me all hooked up, and we were on our way to his shop in Madras. 

I told the tow truck man that I thought I was really lucky that my breakdown happened where it did, and that I had access to a telephone.

"You are lucky" said the truck driver.  "You would not want to leave your car overnight here.  Good chance that you would find your tires missing.  This place isn't all that safe at night."

"No kidding?"

"No kidding," said the driver.  "We had a tow truck stolen there a while back."

"A Tow Truck?"

"Yep, some people just wanted to take it for a joy ride.  The reservation police found it for us," said the driver.

I commented, "I had no idea that you had problems like that out here."

The driver laughed.  "We have lots of problems.  There are a lot of people who live here, who don't have jobs:  lots of drugs, lots of alcohol, and lots of crime.  We also have a fairly high homicide rate."

"Homicide" I asked? "I think that there have only been two murders in the entire history my town and it's around 150 years old.

"Two," questioned the tow truck driver.  "The year's only a third over, and we have already had two."

We were approaching the Madras city limits when the driver  said:  "Too bad it's so late in the day".

"Why is that?"  I asked

"Because our mechanic will have already left when we arrive" said the operator.  "He won't be back on the job until Monday.

My eyes widened.  "Monday?"

"Yep, Monday, we're closed on the weekends.  There is a motel real close to the garage."

"I already have a motel that's paid for in Bend," I said.  "I hope I can call them and get someone to give me a ride.  I am supposed to be at a meeting there tomorrow." 

The lady at the Towing company told me that they were "pretty sure" that they could get my parts by Monday, and have me back on the road and on my way home.

I stood there as I watched the people at Princes Towing leaving and closing up shop. 

I was alone.

I felt stranded.  I knew that there was a group of people who would be in Bend for tomorrow's meeting.    I was hoping that I could catch someone and talk them into giving me a ride to Bend, this would require a 90 mile round trip.    I telephoned the hotel in Bend and gave them a list of names of people that I thought would be checking in. 

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