Leaving my permanent residence-Part 1

After I had everything that I could fit on the bus I drove over to a friend of mines with every intention of staying there a month or two while I converted the bus. The time frame is the end of April. This friend was someone I dated many years ago but we had remained good friends afterwards. She had an unusually long driveway where I could park the bus and no homeowners association forbidding Recreation Vehicles prominently displayed. Ironically, she lived in the historic district of downtown Greenville. I like to believe my bus only enhanced the historical atmosphere of the neighborhood.
My friend, insisted I stay with her. I was hesitant because, while we were good friends, there was still a reason we didn't hang out 24/7. But I had a backup plan, head to my grandmother's and do the construction there if things didn't work out at my friend's place.
I was at my friend's for about 3 days and I decided it was best to head out. As I was backing out of her driving, which took about a full two minutes stopping both lanes of traffic while I demonstrated my inexperience in backing a bus in a downtown neighborhood. My frustration level grew and the already difficult, unfamiliar gearshift was put into first gear. Breaking a cardinal rule I had been warned about for this bus. First gear is a 'granny' gear reserved only for the steepest of inclines and can be shifted out of only after I come to a dead stop. Normal operation of the bus from a stop typically starts from second gear. If no stop is made before shifting out of first gear the bus transmission becomes locked in first. The only way to unlock it is to access the transmission from a removable plate in the floor at the back of the bus. Well I tried to shift, not knowing I was in first, due to my haste to get traffic flowing again. I immediately realized what I had done after trying unsuccessfully to shift into second three or four times. Prior to this I had a mantra "Don't use first, don't use first" I still have that mantra. In first gear the bus cruises along at about 3mph. This is embarrassing. It is midnight on a friday night and there is a good deal of traffic. I put on my hazard lights and pick up my cell phone. I don't know where I am going because my plans were to hit the flea market the next day and sell off what I could of my un-needed stuff. I needed a place to park a bus. But I also needed to find out how to fix the transmission. I called the pastor of the church that I bought the bus from and left a message. (I guess pastors aren't one of the people up at midnight on Friday night). I then called the only person I could think of that had space for me to temporarily park the bus, Bronson, the guy who was to guide me in my jeep painting ordeal. He was a referred friend of a friend person that I happened to have programmed into my phone. He typically worked late nights at his body shop because it isn't as hot then. He answered his phone and I think I surprised him with alot of information. He had only known me as a guy wanting to paint his jeep, now I was calling saying I had a bus, that it was stuck in first gear and that I needed a place to park it for the night. His first question was "you have a bus?" After a quick explanation and reassurances that this was only temporarily and that I desperately needed a place to stay so I could sell my stuff and hit the road, he conceded sure I could park it around back.
After my call I was about half a mile away from Bronson's and there is a fairly steep decline before an equally steep incline. I decided I needed to boost my speed so I pushed the clutch down in order to coast faster down the quarter mile length of decline. After reaching speeds in excess of 10mph my clutch plates inexplicably went from neutral back to first gear causing a slamming on the brakes effect that included squealling tires and objects to come flying forward. Me and the pets nearly soiled ourselves. The bus was stilling running in first gear but now the clutch failed to disengage when I pressed it to the floor. This was very very bad. It would mean I wouldn't be able to come to a stop and start going again. Where I stopped was where I was until the problem was fixed. Luckily there were no more stops before I got to Bronson's. I pulled into the lot trying to shout out the window to Bronson as he was driving towards me in his car with his window down trying to shout something at me. He was trying to tell me where to park (and not run into his car), I was telling him I don't have a clutch and where I stop is where I will be. He didn't get all that because things had changed since I hung up the phone with him and the last thing he expected was additional bus problems plus the diesel engine is loud and we were both moving in opposite directions. I picked as good a place as any and stopped the bus.
The photo is the bus at Bronson's.
I also had not fully planned all the logistics for how to retrieve my jeep and remaining stuff from my other friend's house and get to my grandmother's house with the jeep. I simply thought I would fix it up in a few days, sell it or tow it. This became critical for my immediate future. But like so many things I was to learn, I learned my best lessons from making a few mistakes in calculations.