This has been a very interesting week so far. I had noticed recently that, every now and again, I would get a whiff of gasoline when close to my van. I could not figure out where it was coming from, and it concerned me, but I just couldn't pinpoint anything. On Monday, after having lunch with my mom, she smelled it too, and was trying to help me figure out where it was coming from. When I cranked up the van, she said she could see it dripping on the ground. So, I promptly called Rick, our local mechanic and all around wonderful Christian friend, who told me to bring it to him right away. He replaced the fuel filter, which was cracked, and all seemed well until the next day.
Tuesday, the plan was to take Mom's car to Rick to have the air conditioner charged, and I was going to pick her up there, at which time we would head out to the new Aqueduct park for a swim. As soon as I pulled up at the Peach Orchard Tire and Auto, gas started gushing out from under my van. And I mean gallons. I quickly cut the engine and got the kids out while Mom ran in to tell Rick. He and several of his mechanics piled out the front door in a hurry to make sure no one was in danger and get the mess cleaned up. The young man who had actually fixed it the day before was apologizing profusely. He was completely astounded at this development.
Well, it turned out to be something pretty simple. The clip that held the fuel lines into the gas tank had gotten stretched somehow, and the line popped out just when I pulled up in the parking lot. Thank God it happened right there, and not when we were at the Aqueduct park! It could have been a much worse situation, possibly very dangerous. God really protected us. Sometimes His guardian angels are in the form of mechanically inclined friends.