The Death of Greymack

I was driving home from a job interview when I made a left turn onto Quincy from Lowell. The Specials were blasting so I did not hear my engine die. I attempted to accelerate as I came around onto Quincy and nothing happened. I looked down to see my tachometer reading 0 RPM. Zero is not nearly enough to drive a car. I coasted to the side of the road, threw on the hazards and lifted the hood.
My expertise on fixing cars ends with the observation that there is indeed an engine under the hood and gas in the tank. I noticed the engine was hot (excruciatingly so) so it had indeed been working recently. A turn of the key didn't result in the familiar grinding of a bum starter, but it didn't result in silence either, so I knew the battery was working. But since the car didn't start, something else had to be wrong.
Long story short, on the ride home from the mechanic, we had to fill up the backup van. The full tank of gas cost 75 dollars.

I'm just glad I didn't have to pay. Awesome.