Antifreeze

This is a hysterical story. This morning, Jim taught me how to open the garage door. I know this seems strange, but the locks are really foreign. There are two on the garage. The first is a combination lock that requires four numbers and no less than 10-15 turns of the tumbler to unlock it. It has an inner and outer ring and only 9 digits. He actually gave me written instructions and a diagram. Now that's complicated. The other part of the lock consists of a really cool "key" contraption that is made up of two interlocked counter threaded screws. It's hard to explain except to say it's like a cork screw that works in both directions, but has a bolt that comes out of the door when it's properly screwed in. I know that it doesn't make sense, but it's ingenious.

Now, antifreeze. Then we went to an auto parts store to buy antifreeze for Jim's car. I don't know the word for antifreeze. Neither does Jim. So when we got in the store, I prepared myself for the 5-10 minute conversation that would follow about what is antifreeze and could we please buy some. So I walked up to the counter with Jim and told them that we were Americans looking to buy something for the car. I said that I needed the liquid that you add to the water in the engine of the car so that the water in the motor doesn't freeze. They looked at me kinda blankly. So I tried again with another variant of the same sentence. A second man came over to the counter to help his colleague in understanding these crazy Americans. I tried a third time, we need the colored liquid that makes water NOT freeze in the car. The first man looks to the second and then back at us. He says, "Ahn-tee-freez" Jim and I laugh in embarrassment and good humor. Why didn't I just try the English word in the first place?

Sometimes it's so simple and we make life too complicated.