[MikeyP]

So there we were on our way to the nearby Walmart store in West Lafayette, Indiana. After searching through the store for some specific items, we proceeded to head to the mall. As we got into the van, we were cracking jokes and having a good time. Genia shifts into reverse.

The van struggles for a second, and I can feel the clutch moving slightly in and slightly out of gear as she give it gas. Shortly following the application of gas, I can hear a steel tooth from the reverse gear get sheared off. Instantly thinking 'oh crap!', I tell her to put the van into park, and then slowly put it into reverse again and slowly release the brake. (I was hoping we could at least back out of the parking spot half way because we were boxed in.) Immediately, in about 2 seconds, I heard ever single tooth on the reverse gear get sheared off and the engine rev up. So, reverse gear is dead.

We got lucky at that time. As we had the van in park and were discussing the options, a family that parked in front of us was leaving. Good, we can drive out of here possibly and make it to an open area to call a tow truck. Genia then put the van into drive very slowly and slowly released the brake and let the clutch pull the van out of the parking spot and turn left, to leave the parking lot. The transmission made it a heroic 50 feet before, in one swift action, every tooth on the transmission was sheared off by the other teeth inside. So there we were, stuck in front of the store that has everything, except new transmissions and a garage. We then had to call her parents to give me a ride back to my dorm and call leave her dad to call a tow truck.

So, I basically got about half an hour or so to hang out with Genia and plot the next plan to take over the world whilst the van sat back and died peacefully after an inspirational fight to make it out of the Walmart parking lot.