She checked all the mirrors and lights (enough gasoline? Yes. Good.) And proceeded to make a turn around the circular drive.

But before she was even halfway to the road, a bump and a muffled "pop" made her wince. She tried to ignore it, but the steering became hard to handle, lopsided and precarious. Swearing softly, she cut the engine and climbed out of the car. The passenger side front tire was flat.

She swore a second time, kicked the offending tire and stomped around to the back of the car and wrenched open the trunk.

"Spare tire? Spare tire?" she muttered. Then she lifted the carpet at the bottom of the trunk. According to the owner's manual, the spare would be stored there.