VOLKSWAGEN BUG

Our first car in America was a Volkswagen bug (beetle). My wife and I loved its cute appearance. We bought the car from a student who was graduating from graduate school. He had driven the car out to California from Michigan, and for this reason its bottom was rusted because of the chemical used to get rid of snow on the Michigan streets. Even so we liked the bug. It was cheap and also reliable... until one cold winter day.

That day after school I walked to the bug where I had parked it on the street. I tried to start the engine but it would not start. So I tried to start it again by holding the key on for a long time and pressing the accelerator pedal hard. Still it would not start. Again I turned the key longer and pressed the pedal even harder. Suddenly the spring of the pedal broke, and right at that moment the engine started. With so much gas in the engine cylinder the engine ran very strongly with an enormous noise. Then, through the mirror, I saw blue smoke coming out of the engine at the back of the bug (the bug has the engine in the back, not in the front).

At first I could not believe it. My cute bug had caught fire! I got out of the car, went to the back, immediately took off my jacket and tried to put out the fire with the jacket. But a gas fire is not easy to put out. At that moment a woman from one of the houses on the street rushed over and asked, "Shall I call the fire department?". I asked, "Is it free?" She said, "Yes, it is," and I shouted, "Call them!"

Then a passing car stopped and the lady driver got out and handed me her fire extinguisher. I pulled the lever and sprayed its liquid on the flame. The fire was instantly put out. The lady gave me a piece of paper on which her address was written. She asked me to buy her a new fire extinguisher; gratefully, I said that I would.

Soon after I extinguished the fire, the fire engine arrived. The fire fighters put a final touch on the burned car, stopping the gas from leaking. Only then did I realize that my bug and I were surrounded by many spectators.

When I purchased the car insurance for my bug I included comprehensive coverage in the policy without knowing what it really meant. After the fire I learned from my insurance agent that the policy would cover the cost of the fire. The insurance company paid for all the repair charges except the carburetor. Since the old carburetor was replaced by a new expensive one, I was asked to pay for half its price, with the remaining half paid by the insurance company.

It was from this incident that I deeply realized the importance of insurance and fire extinguishers.