At lunch today, Gordon and I were sitting near the window in our usual restaurant when I happened to notice a tire roll to a stop by the curb beside a fire hydrant. I looked at it and wondered aloud “Where the hell did that tire come from?” It was just a tire; there was no rim on it or anything, so it didn’t come off of a car, yet it clearly came rolling to a stop at the curb before my very eyes. But we soon forgot about the tire and resumed conversation.

However, a couple of ladies in a minivan soon pulled up to the curb to park and somehow managed to get that lonesome tire wedged between the front tire on the passenger side and the wheel well. One lady stayed in the car and tried steering the wheels back and forth to dislodge it while the other lady tried pulling the tire out, to no avail. So Gordon and I decided that they needed a little manly assistance.

Using our keen analytical minds, we determined that we’d have to pull like a motherfucker to get the thing out. So we each grabbed hold of the tire and pulled and pushed and angled the thing until we managed to get it free. I had the final triumphant pull that yanked the rubber malefactor loose and nearly landed on my butt but managed to keep my balance.

It was all very chivalrous and manly.