There’s never a good time for your car battery to die.
Mine died yesterday at 5 p.m., right after soccer practice.
James Hickok — our All-State goalkeeper — provided jumper cables. That was one of the biggest saves of his career.
Our fantastic assistant coach, Kurt Dasbach, provided advice.
“Go to Vautrin,” he said. “They’ll pop another battery in. They’re the most honest guys in Westport. And they’re open till 6.”
I’ve lived in Westport my entire life. I’ve driven past Vautrin Auto Service — next to the new Goodwill — probably 10,000 times. I’d never gone in.
I drove over. Greg Bernfeld — Vautrin’s owner for the past 11 years — took a quick look. He yanked the old battery. He put in a new one.
Vautrin Auto Service works magic on many cars. This is not mine.
Then he handed me the bill. The battery was $99; with tax, it came to $105.29.
The labor was $0.
“Come on,” I said. “You’ve got to charge me for that.”
“No I don’t,” Greg countered. “I charge labor if there’s real labor. This was 2 minutes.”
In a lifetime in Westport, I’d never gone to Vautrin.
Now I won’t go anywhere else.