An Act of Kindness

These days it seems all we ever hear about when we turn on the computer, radio, tv or open a newspaper are the bad things that are happening in the world. War. Corrupt politicians. National debt. The poor economy. Not to mention the murders, burglaries, and other crimes being committed on a daily basis.

Therefore, it was a refreshing change of pace to encounter a simple act of goodness and honesty while we were on vacation last week.

Our trip was all but over. All that remained was the three hour trip home. My husband and I were vacationing with our parents, but each couple had driven in separate cars. As it happened, we decided to pick up one last souvenir, so we were the last ones to hit the road. We got in the car to a flurry of phone calls and voicemails, apparently it wasn't as easy to find the highway home as the waitress in the sandwich shop had claimed.

At any rate, we finally had everyone heading in the right direction. Homeward bound at last. Then the phone rang again. My in-laws had just made it to the main highway and had gotten a flat. Since we were behind them, we said we'd pull over when we found them to help Dad change the tire.

They were easy to spot, and within less than a half hour my hubby had changed the tire and we were on our way to find a service station to repair the original tire. The first place we came to had no service bay attached, but a man inside recommended a Phillips 66 just down the road.

Now, to give you a feel for the small-town we had reached, as we pulled our cars into the lot of the station, a John Deere tractor was filling up at one of the gas pumps. Gotta love it. But, I digress.

Bob, the owner of the station, came out to greet us, and we explained the problem. Well, Bob didn't have a brand new tire to fit our needs, but he did have an older tire that had been repaired once that he figured a local farmer could use at some point for his wagon. He told my father-in-law he wouldn't charge him for the tire (Can you imagine that happening in many places?!), but only for the labor to put it on the car. And although not new, the tire would be more than adequate to get them back home safely.

I wasn't involved in the actual transaction, but I walked into the station as they were finishing up, and my father-in-law was pumping Bob's hand and saying how wonderful it was to meet an honest man. (Apparently he was quite happy with the final bill.) To which Bob replied that he slept very well at night.

As Bob waved us off from the porch of the station, I turned to ask my husband what the final bill had been. I was thinking that anything under a hundred would have been fair in this (somewhat of an emergency) situation.

Nope. Total bill: $9.50. (Which included a $4.50 recycling charge for the old, unfixable tire.)

So, Bob, in Hillside, thank you! It is wonderful to come across decent, honest people in our world. We'll always remember you, not for your generosity, that goes without saying, but for restoring a bit of faith in the people of this world.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com