But on the way back, I drove cautiously, because I had this odd sense that my delirious and half-asleep state was bound to get me into trouble if I couldn't manage to hold focus until I had successfully retreated to my bed.
Pulling in the parking lot, I'm safe...nothing can happen now. Here's a parking spot, gotta pull in and...nope, this person parked way too close to the line, better go for the one next to it. Next spot, turning the wheel, about to edge in, and all of a sudden...
thud-thud-thud-thud-thud
I'm into another person's car. GREAT. So my negative intuition was right. But no use crying over spilt milk. I back away to assess the damage, checking the other person's car first, of course...
...Okay...the damage isn't SO bad. Honestly, they probably won't even notice. Perhaps my luck will be the same.
Turning to look at my car...and well, I got the brunt of it. My car is banged up with paint scratches, and a panel slightly disconnected from my headlight.
I opened my phone to call my parents, but just as I was about to do so, my bad luck made a U-turn. A middle-aged man approached me and asked to look at my car. I allowed him to do so, as I noticed that he was just coming from inspecting the engine of another car at my complex.
A minute later, he tells me that he'll be back with some equipment, and in the meantime, he tells me to run up and go get a rough sponge, some dishwasher soap, and a bucket of water.
He's a car repairman, or so he said. I believed him and welcomed his help. Perhaps my desperation for my car to look aesthetically pleasing again was my reasoning. Or perhaps it's because my training to become a reporter has made me way too comfortable talking to and trusting statements from strangers. Truthfully, it was probably a little bit of both.
Regardless of my doubt, I noticed that the man knew immediately what to do, and what needed to be done. That's something that no random stranger can pull out of thin air.
As I watched him carefully scrub the paint stains off of my car, and observed the results, I decided to give the guy even more credibility. He even went and scrubbed off the other person's car. But when I called my parents and told them what had happened, they were a little skeptical. They told me to ask some questions. Reasonable enough, so I got to it.
The man did not want to ask for anything in return. Fixing cars is his passion. He does not work with a company because he loves to do his work where it's convenient for customers. This sounded fishy, but I trusted my intuition again, which was telling me that there was nothing to be concerned about.
As the man took apart my car to fix the panels, he told me that he was diagnosed with cancer. He is fighting it with chemo, but working with cars helps him to get his mind off of it.
At this point, I was seeing how skillful he was in his maintenance work, and decided that it was time to be 100% certain that this man was credible and honest. And so, I went to the woman he was helping before me...
She had nothing but glowing things to say. She had gotten the recommendation from a friend, and said that he was one of the sweetest, most honest men she had ever encountered. She said that the cancer he mentioned used to be terminal, but now he just needs to follow up with the doctor to make sure that he can recover.
Now my mind was made up, and I returned outside to see the progress on my car.
And this is what I saw:
Now I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture that something was ever wrong, because I sure can't. In fact, in snapping this picture, I zoomed in and out to see if there was a clear mark that would show up. But trust me when I say that if I had thought to take a "before" picture, you would be just as amazed as I was when I saw what this kind man had done.
I took down John's phone number, and told him I would call him if anything else ever happened. I also told him that we would be sending him a check for his services.
In a community where safety is a huge concern, there is still room for hope and trust. There's still reason for us not to put up a red flag if someone steps up and lends their hand to help, because as much as we think it is always true, there is certainly NOT always an ulterior motive, or something they wish to ask in return.
At the end of the morning, the man and I helped each other. He fixed my car, and I gave him the chance to fuel his passion, and divert his attention from his battle with cancer.
I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. In doing a small kindness for my friend, I was meant to carelessly collide into that car, so that I may meet this man and unknowingly do him a kindness as well, as he certainly did me one.
And as a parting note, if any of you reading this post get into a fender bender, or need help jumping your car, I know a guy who is pretty amazing and can help you out in a jiffy.
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