Her husband seems perplexed. Brake emergency? What the heck is an emergency brake, anyway?
The Amish woman sought to recall the officer’s exact comments. “Well, he says, ‘Your emergency brake isn’t working properly,’ or something like that. Do you have any idea, sweetheart, what that might be?
Her husband rubbed his head and gave it some thought. Emergency brake, hmm. He must be referring to the piece of wood we placed under the wheel to prevent the buggy from rolling backward when we stop.
The Amish woman nodded, happy to have understood. “Oh, I get it. To be safe, you should probably go check it out. You know, we don’t want any mishaps.
The Amish husband then walked outside to look at the wooden block they had been using as a backup brake. Although he thought everything was fine, he decided to check it out just to be sure. As he was going to push the buggy to simulate a hill after placing the block under its tyre, he realised he had forgotten something.
He cried out, “Wait a minute!” “I should likely be prepared for an emergency if this is an emergency brake,” you would think.
He hurriedly changed into his Sunday finest, replete with a hat and braces, and ran back inside the home. After putting on the proper attire, he went back to the buggy, pushed the wooden block beneath the wheel, and then stood back, grinning.
He yelled, “Darlin’,” to his wife, “I reckon our emergency brake is just fine!”
The Amish woman looked out the window with a bewildered look on her face. She spotted her spouse standing there dressed for the occasion and beaming with pride. “Well, sweetie, that’s good to know! But why in the world are you wearing all this fancy clothing to test the emergency brake?
Her spouse laughed while his cheeks started to flush. “Well, you see, I figured I should be dressed for a roll down the hill too, if this here emergency brake is going to keep us from rolling down a hill!”
The Amish woman started laughing, her melodic guffaws filling the room. “Oh, my darling, you’re a clever one! However, let’s be sure to test the emergency brake correctly the next time without the need for any Sunday dress.
As a result, at the centre of their Amish community, the unusual and humorous story of the “emergency brake” became a favourite among neighbours, giving delight and laughter to all who heard it. And even though the Amish couple kept using their reliable wooden block to secure their buggy, they could never forget the day a broken reflector resulted in a humorous misinterpretation of emergency braking.