A mouse's motor home proves kindness still abounds

I had a mouse in my motor. Not just a mouse but a whole large mouse nest, and a critter who chewed through the electrical wires, totally disabling the car!

The final deed of chewing the wires must have happened overnight because the car was OK when I parked it in the garage the day before. The next morning, I wanted to go grocery shopping but my car would not start. It seemed serious; gears completely locked up, not a sound, nothing except some red lights on the dashboard.

As we know, many bereaved are on their own, responsible for everything - including car repairs. This is a good example. If you are lucky to have family around to help, that is wonderful. But if not, you are it!

So I called a flatbed truck. The tow arrived about 11 a.m. The driver checked it out, then said he couldn't help. He said because it was locked in park, and he couldn't get it into neutral, and because it was in the garage, he would damage the car if he tried to drag it out backward.

So on his recommendation I called another, different type of tow truck. A "lift truck with dollies." He didn't see the mouse nest.

The second truck came a while later, so now it is about 1 p.m. The driver spent a lot of time but eventually said he couldn't help either. He said I needed a special mechanic, from the car dealership where we bought it, to come and get under the SUV and release the gear box. If he tried to tow it, there would be broken axles. He didn't see the mouse nest either. Neither one of the truck drivers even looked under the hood. But I found out later the nest was built toward the bottom of the engine, built from underneath.

So I called my dealer, Motorwerks of Barrington. It's a long story that stretched all day to 5 p.m. Anyway, the service manager recommended the towing service they use. I called them. They came and towed my car, no broken axles.

The next day I got an email stating the car needs complete electrical rewiring, expensive but needed.

Then I got another email from the service manager, with photos of the problem. That's how I found out about the mouse. A big pink nest with some Bubble Wrap. Pink? Looked like insulation but from where? Inside the garage walls, I presume. I was so amused and shocked - all I could do is chuckle. At least I got a smile out of it!

In the meantime, I've learned this is a fairly common car problem, but the first time for me! We had been parking our cars inside this same garage for years without a mouse attack.

The point is: We bereaved do have to roll with punches, or otherwise it would just be too much. But I never imagined a mouse could cause such a $1,400 problem! Luckily repairs can be made.

We can find people who will help, even if it takes some persistence to find them. And it takes some kindness on their part, as the service manager at Motorwerks showed to me. There is kindness out there.

• Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@comcast.net or see her blog longtermgrief.tumblr.com. See previous columns at www.dailyherald.com/topics/Anderson-Kleif-Susan.