But seriously...what I was hoping for was the type of mistake where you forgot something, overlooked something, clicked the wrong button, that sort of thing. The sort of mistake that is immune to logic, reason, etc. At least I'm assuming that everyone makes mistakes like that, that I'm not the only one? Please tell me that is true!
I once owned a 1972 VW van which I had left parked in my mom's driveway in Montreal a few years before. That van had taken our family on camping trips through Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America, and was reliable like only an old VW can be. I loved that van, its toaster-like shape so ugly that it was beautiful, the fact that it had been our home on wheels and took us everywhere without ever causing any issue, and I really wanted to admire its beauty one last time outside my window. So that summer, my wife, 6 month-old daughter, my wife's little 14-year old sister, and I decided to fly to Montreal to pick it up and drive back to Yellowknife. Before embarking on such a long journey, a little over 5,000 km, I took it to my VW mechanics for a complete inspection. The verdict: engine, tires, brakes, etc., were in perfect condition, everything was good to go, except the carburetor which could die at any time. Time was tight, and I didn't have time to order a new one, so I took a chance and decided to go for it. About 4,000 km into the trip, a few miles outside Valleyview (Alberta), the van started to putter, and the engine died on the side of a two-lane highway. I was actually pretty happy that we had made it that far, and although fixing a carb on an old VW is relatively simple, it was beyond my roadside abilities...so I called CAA (our AAA) and had my beloved van towed to the nearest garage in Valleyview. Unfortunately, it was a weekend and everything was closed, so I left it parked at the garage, not before writing a detailed account to the mechanic, including my assessment of the problem. We then proceeded to trek back to Yellowknife, a not-so-simple task in the middle of Northern Alberta. Our only option: hitch a ride with a local waitress to the nearest bus depot in Peace River, about 150 km north. We got there around 11 pm, found the cheapest place to crash -still over $100 in these parts of the world for a muddy truckers style motel, and caught the 6 am bus to Yellowknife, a 1000-km -and $800 bus journey, straight North. Eighteen hours later, we finally got home at 1 am, tired, hungry and dirty...
The next morning, I called the mechanic, confident that I had given him very detailed technical information to fix the problem, and joyfully asked him if he was able to get the van going, and how much it would cost me...He laughed, and replied: It was an easy fix, and quite cheap on top of that, it'll cost you $40, I just filled your tank, you were out of gas...