By: Donna Hale Chandler
Many years ago, my daughter and I were driving to Michigan from Florida. We weren’t even out of Florida when one of the rear tires shredded, sending strips of rubber flying in every direction. As I steered over to the side of the road, cars behind us were trying to dodge this flying debris. Fortunately, there were no accidents and no one was injured.
Once I stopped and caught my breath, I got out my AAA card and called the number on the back, I was told that someone would soon be there to help us. As we waited, a state police officer pulled behind us to see if we needed help. I explained that I had called AAA and they would be arriving. Shortly thereafter, a AAA truck appeared. A nice man got out, introduced himself, and asked if I had a spare. I told him I thought it was probably a baby tire but wasn’t sure. His response was, “Well, let’s check.”
The trunk was filled with suitcases, souvenirs, and various odds and ends from our vacation, totally burying the spare tire. However, without batting an eye, the young man took everything out and checked the spare. Sure enough, it was a ‘baby tire’. He offered to put that on for us, but cautioned us not to go over 50 miles per hour and that this tire would only last long enough for us to get to a tire store.
Seeing the look of concern on my face, the young man offered a solution. “My uncle owns a shop not far from here. I could tow your car to him and I bet he could sell you a tire.” Thankful for the offer, we quickly agreed, and after loading our car behind the wrecker, the young man opened the passenger door for my daughter and me.
We took the next exit, but I became concerned when he turned onto a two-lane road that seemed to be taking us out into the country. What was I thinking, getting into the truck with a stranger? Where was he taking us? I asked him, “How much longer?” and he replied, “Not far.”
“Not far” turned into several miles. I was starting to wonder if I had made a terrible mistake. However, the driver kept up friendly dialog so I kept telling myself everything would be just fine (though I wasn’t sure I believed it.)
At last, we pulled into a run-down mechanic’s garage. An older gentleman came out to meet us and assured us that he could replace our tire quickly and for us to “have a seat in the waiting room while he worked.”
The waiting room was small but reasonably clean, so we settled in for what I assumed would be a long boring wait. I noticed a bulletin board filled with cards and notes, and couldn’t resist the temptation to read what was posted so publicly. To my surprise, the notes were thank you’s, written by out-of-towners who had been similarly stranded. This little garage had gotten each of them back on the road, and quickly headed to their destination. I can’t explain the sense of relief I felt as I read these short letters. I dug in my purse for a scrap of paper to write down the address of this little out-in-the-boondocks garage. I made a mental note to write my own thank you, to be added to this history bulletin board of the people he had helped.
Shortly, we were safely back on the road. I should have known that AAA would never let me down.
I’ve made it a priority to renew my subscription every year since.
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