“And he’s Fun Size too” – Colleen O’Laughlin

Two nights ago, we had our first little mishap with our island car, a completely blown tire on the way home from soccer practice – Joey/running-Liz.   

We were both exhausted and in no mood to change a tire.  Enter our saviors – Brian, Colleen, and Manny. 

In a search to find a reliable mechanic on this island, we’ve received many recommendations from many friends (all with caveats like – “he’s a little shady”, “he’s a little too thorough”, “he sold ____ a  lemon”, and “he specializes in Toyotas, but only older ones before all that computer stuff”).  We can assuredly say that one of these came through in a big way the other night.  Brian called Manny and he showed up at 7pm, went out to get us a new tire (buying it from "Bo Bo Tire Shop," no joke!), changed the tire, and made sure everything ran well.  And, as Colleen so eloquently put, he’s a “Fun Size” (i.e. small) spider monkey of a man who can get himself underneath a car and change a tire at superhuman speeds.  Here’s to you, Manny!  You’re a lifesaver.

Before Manny actually arrived, Colleen and Brian had offered to let us have their spare tire.  You see, our car didn't come with a spare, a tire iron, or a jack.  Things we didn't exactly "check" on before we took to the road.  Word to the wise: always do this, young people!  So, in an effort to expedite the process and change the tire as quickly as possible when Manny was to arrive with his jack, Elizabeth used all of her strength to loosen the nuts on the tire.  Brian captured the moments on film...

We had many locals stop to offer help.  We felt very loved!  When Manny arrived, we realized that we couldn't use Colleen's and Brian's spare, so he left to go buy us a tire...from Bo Bo Tire Shop.  To make the most of our time, Elizabeth decided to "fix" our windshield wiper.  Because our car was built in 1992 and only has lived on Saipan, it has been exposed to a bit of salt causing a bit of rust.  The other night, when we were taking some cheerleaders home after a game, the passenger side windshield wiper completely fell off.  Elizabeth decided she was going to tape it back on using electrical tape.  Who needs working windshield wipers during the rainy season?  We'll keep you posted on how well her "fix" is doing...

Good as new!