In Search of Charge

[Allen Wu]

A detour guided by kindness and love​

Photo by Jessie Ngo on Unsplash

I parked in front of a car dealership. This was the place. The last available charging station I could find on Google Map.

But it was not looking good. The parking lot was dark. There were lights in the office, but no signs of other customers. I looked at time. 5:50 pm. They would close in 40 min.

Only that 40 min of charging would not be enough to take us back to Vegas. And that was assuming they allow us to charge here.

So here we were — piled into our rented E-Mustang, me, my wife, my in-laws, and my one-year-old son — stuck in the town of Pahrump after a day of exciting sight-seeing in Death Valley. This was the last town before entering the highway zigzagging up the valley back to Vegas. For a non-Tesla electric vehicle, it’s a long trip from Vegas to Death Valley with very few charging stations. Despite a successful workaround to charge the car at a Tesla charger, the battery level just dropped too fast driving 5 people in the valley. The sun was setting, the baby needed to eat and sleep, and we definitely needed another charge. My hope used to be the Tesla superchargers in this town, until I found out the workaround wouldn’t work there. Now this ChargePoint station was my last shot.

The owner and another young man (maybe his assistant) looked ready to lock up early when I walked in. I explained our situation, asking if we could charge here till they close. To my surprise, they didn’t show even a slight sign of being upset. Much on the opposite, they acted as though helping out stranded travelers only added to their pleasure after a long day’s work.

“Just help yourself.” The owner said as he sat back down into his chair with a friendly smile.

“Let us know if you guys need any help with the charging,” the young man said with similar enthusiasm, “Also, feel free to use our restrooms.”

Then he stood by the table and resumed chatting with his boss. They seemed to be more like friends or family. For some reason, the sight of them chatting casually reminded me of times when power goes out and family gathers around candles.

Out on the lot, the air cooled fast and the sky darkened into ink. My in-law’s were taking the baby for a walk around the parking lot. My son was pretty excited to see so many different cars lined up, running and speaking in his own language. I was gazing at the gauge in the car. The charging was slow. Based on this, even after this charging session, we barely had enough battery to drive back.

“How’s it going? Will we be good?” My wife asked me anxiously.

I told her I didn’t want to take any risk — not to be stuck near Vegas in nowhere. We brainstormed a few options, but none was good. All our baby care gears were back at the hotel room in Vegas, and it’s hard to get everything here and find another place to stay.

A crazy idea came to my mind. I opened Lyft and Uber, and started to look for drivers that could take us back to Vegas. The message’s blinking in the app: “Looking for drivers”. Clearly, not many drivers enjoyed driving 60 miles in a dark night across the valley. For a moment I saw someone accepted. But before I got too excited, the driver turned down the mission and we were back into the search.

I looked towards the office. The owner and the young man were putting things away near the door. It’s about time that they leave. The in-law’s brought the baby back to the car. It’s getting colder and colder.

Just before I gave up, someone accepted the trip on Lyft! I could not believe my eyes.

Then my phone rang. The Lyft driver.

“I saw this trip plan and want to confirm with you,” the driver said, confusion in his voice, “You are requesting from Pahrump. But you are going to Vegas?”

I explained and asked him for the favor. All others listened carefully without a sound, even my baby. What a miracle.

“OK then,” the driver said with a laugh, “what a bad day, isn’t it? I will be there soon.”

What a big relief! No much time for celebrating, we quickly laid out a plan. My wife, my son and my in-law’s would go with the Lyft ride, and I would stay with the rental car. Even if I cannot find anywhere else to charge, worst case I will stay here for the night and start again tomorrow. It’s much easier if the others are back in the hotel.

After they set out, I went inside and thanked the owner and the young man who stayed overtime for us.

The owner smiled at me with a friendly wave. “Don’t mention it,” he said. “It’s really nothing!” Said his young assistant, wide grin on his face.

“BTW,” the owner called me before I headed out, “if you are still not getting enough charge, there is a faster charging station, near a gas station at Coyote Corner. Maybe try if you can use that one.”

Somehow this station did not show up in the map. But I had nothing to lose by checking it out. I drove to that gas station and found it. It was surprisingly fast. In 30 min I finally had enough charge to make my way back. I grabbed a big bottle of ice coffee to keep me awake and hit the road.

The highway back was empty. The mountains were merely black shapes against the sky. Moon and stars shined brightly in the valley. Occasional pair of headlights passing through me from the other side. Besides these were only loud music, ice coffee, and pedals down.

When Vegas came into sight, it was like a mirage of light in a desert. The stars faded by the city lights. I stopped at a charging station near the Sphere, to charge the car to full before returning it tomorrow. I stretched my legs outside. The giant orb floated in the night, pulsing with light and color. People looked small in front of it.

For a brief sec, I felt lost and lonely. As though a beautiful moment just passed in my life that can never be seen, shared and understood by my loved ones. Not with photos or videos, not even if I drag them here tomorrow night, at the same time, the same location. A moment we did not spent together is a moment lost, in that endless river of moments through our lives.

Back at the hotel my wife greeted me at the door. Our son was asleep in his crib. She told me about how the Lyft driver was so talkative and shared his stories nonstop along the way — how he’d settled down here, owning houses both in and out of Vegas (so he did not mind the ride — he would stay at Vegas tonight). I listened, grateful to recover a small piece of lost moment from her story.

I laid down and thought of this unforgettable journey, one that was bound to fail but saved by kindness. Strangers who refused to turn us away. Driver who came to the rescue. And a family that worked together on every chain to come together in the end. Piece by piece, sometimes kindness and love did lead the way out of tough situations. It may take a detour though, just like my most needed charge — hidden in an unexpected location.

In a quiet way the thoughts chased away the loneliness I felt under the Sphere. And for that, I slept with a soft smile.

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In Search of Charge was originally published in Long. Sweet. Valuable. on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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