so i was on my way home from work, heading down the mountain and i passed a car that was billowing smoke, so i turned around thinking i would offer water for the radiator or a ride to the store...at that point in the road, there is no cell service and nothing for at least 5 miles, it's about 20 degrees out....so, i stop and say....can i help anyway? the guy says....can you give us a ride? i quickly access....2 tiny shivering dogs, a clean man, car billowing smoke, it's not a set up, wife sitting in car with a coach bag and nice sunglasses....i say...sure!
so, they gather their stuff and hop in the truck and i say....where are we going? i am still heading north toward tijeras.
BTW, i had forgotten my cell phone today and was on my way to meet the boss to drop something off....
the guy says...can you take us home?
sure.
do you know where tajika is?
i'm thinking a street....
no, i say.
do u know where escabosa is?
i'm thinking a street....
no, i say.
do you know where chilili is?
then it dawns on me...oh! i need to head BACK toward work. shoot, i am on empty and can only drive about 20 miles and my boss is waiting. the guy says, it's only 9 miles or so, you can drop us there and i will get you gas.
"there" is this little store just beyond where i work, where they bought the car from that morning and the guy they bought it from has a supply of gas, altho not to the public.
so, at a certain point the couple gets cell service and i say...do you mind if i call my boss? he's waiting.
so, i call bruce and say...i will be a little late, i am giving a couple a ride, their car overheated. he says okay! no problem, i'll wait.
i'm still thinking...this will only take an extra 20 MAYBE 30 minutes....
BTW, the couple introduces themselves and their tiny puppies. sweet, sweet couple. no bad vibes, and besides before they got in the car i put my handy dandy pocketknife in my pocket.....JUST INCASE. i follow my gut but use my smarts! ;)
so we get to the store and the guy goes in, i chat with the wife and cuddle the teacup puppy. she is still shivering.
the guy comes out....the man who was supposed to be there JUST left and his cell is out of range! so this means....no gas.
well, i'm commited at this point. i'm down to like 9 miles of gas left and town is a good 30. so he says...we can go to tajika, its another 9 miles or so, there is a small gas station there. i say...okay, i am trusting you.
my gut is still giving the okay.
so we head to tajika. my little guage is eventually saying 0. he says...it's close! i promise...as i'm purposely coasting down every hill i can.
we get to a stop sign, more like 18 miles down the road and he says, turn right, 1 more mile, i promise!
i was getting nervous!
i turn right, and i'm sweating a little, my neck tenses up...nervous I will get stranded as well!
finally, a tiny town pops up and there is a little pump with 3 tanks. i drive up and see out of order on the first one, out of order on the second one...oh this is bad....whew! 3rd one is working.
okay, he gives me money, and we fill it up. being the ancient pump that it is, the lever to hold it so you don't have to is broken and it pumps slower than molasses. so i jimmy rig it with my wallet so i don't have to stand there for 10 minutes with a cramping hand.
finally, it's full.
we pile back in and i say...okay! i feel better, i will take you anywhere now! whew!
so he says, we live another 10 miles or so. can you take us there? i say, sure! i've never been out here, it is BEAUTIFUL, i'm enjoying the conversation, i want to somehow steal the puppy....it's all good.
i get some interesting history about the area, and who lives where and what they are like, pass a church for abused women only, with a faded wooden sign that you can barely read....swerve to miss a pitbull running in the road...pass a tree that they point out is shaped JUST like a cow...it did.
we go about 10 miles and he says...okay, youi'll turn left up here...i do, it's a dirt road, we go about 2 miles and as we pass this house, he says....oh, this is a funny story...a veteren lives there, and one day all the neighbors realized they were smelling this awful smell, and they knew this guy hunted and took in stray animals, so they called the authorities to check it out, and it turned out the guy had gone crazy and was killing animals and putting them behind sheetrock in all of his walls!
WTF!?!?! i'd of liked to been in his head for a minute to figure out WHAT and WHY he was doing this!
their house finally comes up on the left, it's a mobile home with a fence of wagon wheels and neat antiquities....they thank me and get out.
i put in some kidrock, blast it and head back. as i'm driving i feel good. i feel free, adventurous, i helped someone and it fed a part of me that i push down a lot.
by this time it is 1 1/2 hours PAST when i was supposed to meet bruce and still another good 40 minutes to get to him so i decide, i will stop by the office to call him and by this time i REALLY have to pee.
i call bruce and say...GAWD, i'm so sorry to keep you waiting and explain where i had to go.
he says..meet me in the same place. i am still waiting.
i speed to our meeting point and he jumps out of his truck to get his package. i say...
have you been waiting all of this time?
he says...THAT doesn't matter! let me explain something to you. you have to be very careful. you were missimg WAY to long, i called the cell number back to trace it JUST incase and if i hadn't heard from you by 5 i was going to call the police. i realize you made a judgement call, and you did the right thing helping but please be careful! you JUST never know!
i said...thank you bruce, i appreciate your concern! i can tell you were worried. i am sorry!
so, what did i take from this?
i love that i have learned to trust my gut and act on it. if we pass these moments up, we miss out on LIFE and connection to other life and the pleasure of adventure and helping...
i learned, when you forget your cell phone, turn around and go get it!
i learned that people worry about me! me? wow! bruce hadn't SAID it but he would not have reacted the way he did if it weren't for caring. i feel warm inside.
i realized that all of my life i have had these voices in my head from things people said to me growing up...that before would have prevented me from helping and to worry if i did. that i had made the wrong choice and something bad would happen, it would be my own dumb fault and bad danielle.
fuck it!
paying it forward paid off!
i have passed many persons on that road because i did not trust the situation, i followed my gut. this time i followed it as well and i am glad i did.
i love and care and i AM loved and cared for.
peace!
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