The Doorbell rings. It’s the tow truck guy.

Me: Hi, how are you doing?

Guy: I’m doing good, but it looks like you got yourself into a bit of a pickle there.

Me, embarrased: Yeah. We had a visitor who parked their van on the other side of the driveway and I was trying to go around it.

Guy: You’re half off the driveway and there’s that tree that’s helping to hold you up.

Me: The snow’s been melting and refroze with the temperature drop.

Guy: Well I’ve been looking for trees to use as pulleys to help get you out, but there aren’t any in the right spot. See, if I pull you down the driveway your front end will slide off the driveway more and the tree you’re on will scrape the entire side of your car. It’s that whole angle thing.

Me: You mean like gravity.

Guy: Yeah, gravity.

Me: I can cut the tree down.

Guy: Yeah but there’s another one next to it. And if I try to get up the driveway to pull you up and away from the tree, there’s a good chance my truck might slip and hit your car.

Me: Hmm.

Guy: Yup, a pickle.

Me: …so what do you think we should do?

Guy: I’ll try coming up the driveway.

Me, nervous now because a scrape along the side of my car is better than a fast-moving tow truck destroying the other side of the car and then flipping it further into the ditch: Uh ok. Is your truck 4-wheel drive?

Guy, as he walks down the driveway to his truck: Nope.

The Girl and I watch as he revs his engine. Smoke pours out of his exhaust. He leans forward over his steering wheel. The truck starts up the driveway…and gets to the top without a problem.

Guy, as he gets out of the truck: Well, now we can do something!

The Girl walks back into the house shaking her head (at me I think). The Guy proceeds to tell me about the different parts of the car that he has to hook the tow line onto in European, Japanese, and Domestic cars and which ones he prefers.

He eventually leaves and I go inside for some whiskey that the Girl has already started on.

Thank you CAA and Rosemont Towing for the excuse to drink a happy ending to the evening.