Yesterday, as I was on my way to an appointment with my dentist's cleaning woman (hygienist), my car quit on me. It seemed to be a problem in the fuel line. The engine would start for a split second and then die. I was in the main lane coming into a busy intersection. I turned on my flashers and tried to call AAA. Unfortunately, my cell phone battery had no charge. Meanwhile cars were coming up close behind me, and it took them some time to realize the situation and go around me. I was wondering if my car would be rear-ended before the phone battery was sufficiently charged for me to make the call.
After I had been there a few minutes, two big men with curly black beards and olive skin approached and offered to push my car to the side of the road. After they did so, they invited me to wait in their barber shop, outside of which mu car had stalled. When I told them of the problem with my phone, the cashier in the shop let me borrow her phone. I made the call, and the tow truck arrived in a few minutes. I thanked my Good Samaritans and gave them $20, which they tried to refuse, but I tucked it into the pocket of one of their aprons.
Some sites — reposted by friends on Facebook and people I follow on Twitter — claim that all Muslims hate non-Muslims. It's an absurd idea, which incidents like this disprove. I'm reasonably confident my helpers were Muslim, and nothing compelled them to help me, but they freely chose to do so, possibly even motivated by their religion.
Sequel I had my car towed to the service station I use. The man who knows how to use the diagnostic computer was out with the flu or something of the sort. The other guy hoped he'd be back today. So once more I used the bus to get to the subway so I could get to Boston that evening, and once more, it was satisfactory.
Today, I got a call from the service station about 12:30 p.m., telling me that my car was ready. It turns out the problem wasn't the fuel delivery system. It needed a tune up: new spark plugs and wires. There was also a mouse nest in the air filter, so the filter had to be replaced. Parts, $146.00, labor 160.00, tax on parts, 9.25; and I'm on my way.
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2 comments:
Not a bad bill to get your car running again. And it's amazing, isn't it, how many people prove willing to ignore the humanity in others? Whether it's the barely veiled racism you see on social media, or the vile condemnation offered by the politically correct set for those who don't perfectly agree with them, it seems that across the board we have learned to stop viewing other people as, well, people. Your (potentially) Muslim Samaritans aren't surprising at all. You find good people, and bad, in every culture, and a lot of what looks "innate" is cultural conditioning.
Thanks for the comment. I agree. I'm always pleasantly surprised by spontaneous acts of kindness from strangers, possibly because I'm not that generous myself. To mix my scriptural allusions, I'm confident that these kind strangers are among those who will find themselves on the right hand and hear the words, "Come, blessed of my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
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