In the old days she'd be referred to
as a "Damsel in Distress."
I had been out shopping and really took
too much time doing it. I was tired and
ready to head home. That is when I saw
her.
She was stopped in the left hand turn lane
about ready to get onto the expressway but
never made it.
I saw her standing behind her car with the
trunk open. I slowed down, rolled opened
my window and said, "Do you need help?"
"Yes, I ran out of gas. I just moved here
and I don't even know where a gas station
is," she replied.
She didn't have a gas can, so I told her
I'd run down the road to see if I could
get one from the local station.
They sold a one gallon can, I filled it up
and returned.
She couldn't thank me enough and told me
she would pay for the can and gas. Of
course, I refused.
The car she was driving was in poor shape
and would most likely qualify for the
clunker rebate as a gas guzzler.
She didn't have a cell phone either.
I asked if I could call anyone and
she replied, "I have no one to call."
As I was pouring the gas in, she said,
"You know in this day I thought no one
would even stop. I was afraid to
leave the car but even more afraid to
get help."
That bothered me greatly. It was true
and that bothered me even more.
"Well, I couldn't pass by without offering
help," I said. "I've run out of gas myself
a few times."
She looked nervous and a little
uneasy so I thought I'd make her smile.
"You know I'm getting old. Now I'm running
out of gas and time. It just seems to fly by."
She then said something that I thought was
a gem... "My Dad said that old age is like toilet paper.
The closer you get to the end of the roll the faster it spins."
I laughed so hard I nearly dropped the container.
She tried to start the car and it worked. I
gave her the can and told her to keep the empty
one in her trunk. Then I handed her $20.
"This is for that joke. I'll get more mileage
out of that than you will when you fill your tank.
Welcome to Pennsylvania."
"I believe in You!"
J
~ Bob Perks ~
