Stranded on Expressway at 3am

It was one of those dreaded phone calls parents pray they wouldn't get. Maybe I am overreacting, but I am the mother of two daughters in their 20s, so I dread this kind of SOS calls.

It was 3 o'clock this morning when daughter Ann called, saying her car broke down at Mile 13.5 of NKVE (New Klang Valley Expressway), just past Subang toll plaza on the road to Klang.

She had just finished work and was giving two colleagues a lift; one to Klang and the other to Sri Hartamas, before going home herself to Bandar Utama.

I was beside myself with worry. That stretch of the highway is pretty lonely even in daytime, but there are a lot of heavy vehicles at night heading towards Port Klang and the South.

Fortunately she was with two others; still safety wasn't guaranteed. Pak Abu and I, together with Naj in another car, immediately headed out to the place.

We got there within 20 minutes. While Naj sent the two journalists home we waited with Ann in a light drizzle for a towtruck that never came.

Unfortunately, none of us had phone numbers of independent towing companies handy. Looking around, I felt a chill up my spine, especially since there were many trees and bushes by the side of the expressway.

I told everyone to get into our car and lock the door, for safety's sake. In the mean time, Ann tried calling AAM, but her membership has expired, so they were not very helpful.

They said they would try to get a towtruck and would call her back. They never did.

We waited for 45 minutes for a call that never came. Next she called Proton Assist, but since her car is from Perodua, they declined to help but asked her to call Plus Ronda instead, which she did.

They arrived within 20 minutes, checked her car and decided to tow it to the nearest toll plaza - the Shah Alam Bukit Jelutong Plaza - for safety.

They were efficient, helpful and kindly, at 4.30 am. Kudos to Plus for having such courteous staff. To the two guys manning towtruck WPP 6004, we can't thank you enough.

We finally got home past 5am, tired and hungry, but went to bed instead.

Pak Abu said Ann was foolhardy to attempt to drive all the way to Klang at that hour, but she argued there were three of them.

On my part, I was in no mood to give my five-sen worth. I was just glad it ended well.