REALLY???

So I'm driving home after work today and Doug calls while I'm in route. He asks me the usual question, "How was your day?" I responded with a slightly unusual answer saying that it was just great BECAUSE no weird lights turned on in my car AND I had no sudden power losses that caused me to be stranded on the side of the road for over an hour. We continued our conversation in which I mentioned that I was excited that my car was working well again so I would be able to drive up to see him this weekend

AND then...
My check engine light turned on.
The mechanic that I went to yesterday told me that if ANYTHING happened that I could come right on over and they would look at it. I remembered from yesterday that he said I could pick up the car as late as 8:30pm. Well my check engine light turned on at 8:22pm and I was about 3 miles away from the shop at the time, so I decided that I would try to see if anyone was still around.

I walk in the store part of the gas station and the clerk informs me that NO ONE is in the garage. I didn't give up though because flashing warning lights are not ignored by me anymore, NO not after yesterday. I basically told the clerk (a high school teenager) that my car wasn't leaving the parking lot until I had a better idea as to what was happening with my car. I WAS NOT GOING TO END UP BROKEN DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AGAIN. He actually called the manager, Roger, at home. He chats with him for a little bit and then Roger asks for my name. He somehow remembered me from yesterday and had the clerk pass over the phone to me.

He talked me through it and basically told me that the check engine light really didn't have anything to do with the alternator issues that I was having yesterday. The check engine light or "Malfunction Indicator Light" as it calls it in my car's handbook thingy has to do with the emissions system and I SHOULD be able to get home. He was kind, calmed me down, explained things to me, and was extremely understanding. He was not at all annoyed that I was talking to him at his home at almost 9 o'clock at night. This is not my regular mechanic. I met him for the first time yesterday.

I called home after that and was going to have my parents take an extra car to my house tonight so I wouldn't need to drive my car to work tomorrow. Basically, they would've had to drive 2 cars the 45 minutes to my house and then back. They were busy and I didn't want to inconvenience them.

I am driving my car to work tomorrow WITH the "Malfunction Indicator Light" on.

Pray for me.