I parked in a different lot at the airport out of necessity. I picked a (presumably) safe location, hopped on the shuttle, and barely made my flight. When I returned, I hopped on the shuttle again, and swung through the pick up zone to get my friend and our bags. We’d had a great extended weekend; now it was good to be back. We got on the road and drove about 10 miles with no issue—until we were on the bridge. Of course, it had to be one of the long ones. I heard what I thought to be a tire. A semi was beside me, and I wasn’t sure if it was his or mine. Then I thought the sound was more like a helicopter close by. I slowed down and prayed I’d get across the bridge, then we exited as soon as we could. I looked at the tires. I looked under the car. There were no lights on my dashboard. I couldn’t see anything wrong, and there were no mechanic shops around us, so I hesitantly returned to the road. I tried to test when the sound subsided or escalated. I did my best to maintain the same speed. We made the 90 minute drive home without any issues.

I parked my car in the garage and determined to have it looked at the next morning. Maybe it was a wheel bearing? I called my mechanic, which would require another 40-minute drive, and they couldn’t get it in right away. A friend agreed it might be a wheel bearing. I had another trip planned the upcoming weekend and would need to drive to the airport again. I called a local mechanic who could take a look by the end of the day to determine parts they might need, give it back for me to drive overnight, then I’d drop it off for a repair the next day. But they didn’t let me pick it up, because it wasn’t safe to drive.

On one wheel, only one lug nut was tight. All others were hanging on by literal threads. When was the last time any work had been done on my tires? Six weeks. Had I driven much since then? I estimated 750 miles. I’d had no issues, so it couldn’t have been caused six weeks prior. Could someone had tampered with my wheel while I was parked at the airport? It’s the only logical explanation.

I had chills when the mechanic told me. He’d never seen anything like it. We agreed only God could have kept that tire in place. When I mentioned it to by friend who helped me think through what it might be, he said, “All I can imagine is Jesus’ fingers in the wheel studs, keeping the tire secured to the axle the whole time you drove. ” Again, chills. There was somehow no damage to the tire or wheel. For safe measure, I made other plans to go to the airport, and I took my vehicle to my mechanic the next week to have them double check everything. They were equally befuddled by how the wheel stayed on the car, and it takes a lot to stump them. They agreed only God has that kind of protective ability.

I’m thankful no one was hurt, including my friend and me. I still get chills when I think about it. Only God…