Can We Still Rely on the Kindness of Strangers?

An incident on a cold and rainy night confirms my faith in humanity.

The world can be cruel and people will disappoint you. They will lie to you, cheat you and steal from you.

This has become such an everyday occurrence that society has stopped answering numbers on their phones that they don’t recognize.

We often sit in our houses silently instead of answering the door for the unknown stranger. We look the other way when approached by a person on the street and we drive by stranded motorists telling ourselves that someone else who can help more will be along soon.

The sad part of the world we are now living in is that it can be scary to help a stranger.

But, not everyone feels this way.

About three weeks before last Christmas, I found myself on a stretch of lonesome highway twenty miles from the closest town. It was early evening and starting to get dark. A cold, icy rain was falling.

Suddenly, I heard a pop and then a low rumble. My car shook and was hard to steer. I immediately pulled over as far as I could on the shoulder of the road as cars whizzed by at 75 miles per hour.

I got out and looked at my car. My suspicions were confirmed as I looked at my front driver’s side tire. It was completely demolished, not just flat but shredded.

I took a deep breath and thought about my options. I grabbed my rain jacket from the car, zipped it up and went to my back trunk.

As I dug my way down to the spare tire, I was shocked to find it flat. To my knowledge, it had never been used and must have gradually lost all of its air over the years.

Clearly, I was not getting out of this situations without some help.

I sat back in the front seat and grabbed my phone.

I had no signal. No signal!

This isn’t suppose to happen these days. There is coverage all over the United States. I am on this highway all of the time and I have never noticed any dead spots in coverage.

But, as I restarted my phone as I sat on the dark highway with cars and big trucks speeding by, I was forced to conclude that I was, indeed, without cell phone service.

I tried to remember the last time I passed an exit. It was miles back. I was unsure of how far in front of me the next exit was. I didn’t relish walking in the dark along a cold, heavily trafficked road in the rain.

So, I sat and waited as hundreds of cars sped by.

Fifteen minutes later, no one stopped. Surely, a highway patrol would be by soon. So, I waited. And waited some more.

Twenty minutes after that, I noticed a car’s headlights coming up behind me.

It was slowing down to stop!

It was not the highway patrol. A young man in a baseball hat and coveralls got out of his car and walked towards my vehicle as the rain was falling as hard as ever.

I got out of my car to meet him.

“Looks like you need some help,” the young man said politely.

His coveralls had a Loves logo on them. I remember seeing a sign for a Loves truck stop a few miles back. His nametag told me his name was Kenny.

“I could use a ride to the nearest town. I think I need a tow,” I said.

“Do you have a spare?” Kenny asked.

“I do, but it is flat,” I informed him.

He looked in my trunk at the spare tire.

“I was on my way home from work. I live a couple of miles down the road,” he said, “Why don’t I take it home and air it up for you. I will check it for leaks.”

“That would be great,” I exclaimed, “Thank you so much!”

He grabbed the tire, took it to his trunk and drove away.

I got back in my car and waited for him. Still no signal on my phone.

Twenty minutes later, Kenny returned. He not only had my fully inflated tire but also a nice floor jack and lug wrench. Without saying anything, he loosened the lug nuts, jacked the car up and changed out the tire in a matter of minutes. He did this while the rain poured around him.

I just stood there in the rain beside him. I had changed tires before and felt kind of stupid standing there doing nothing but he was definitely a professional.

When he finished, I said “You are a life saver. Thank you so much! I wish I had some cash to give you.”

“Nonsense,” Kenny replied, “I didn’t stop for the money. Just wanted to help out.”

He shook my hand, wished me a Merry Christmas and walked back to his car.

I got in my car, started it and pulled out, amazed that I was finally on the road again.

Kenny was one of the kindest and most helpful strangers I had ever encountered.

The next week, I was driving down that same stretch of highway. I stopped at the Loves truck stop that I assumed Kenny worked. It was late afternoon and I hoped to catch him still at work or at least leave something with a fellow employee.

I went into the garage that was behind the store. A man was working on a vehicle.

It was Kenny.

“Hello,” I said.

He put his tools down and approached me.

“Do you recognize me?” I asked.

He shook his head no.

“You changed a tire for me in the rain last week,” I reminded him.

“Of course,” he said and smiled, “How are you?”

“I am better than last time you saw me. I wanted to thank you again and give you this card,” I handed him a sealed Christmas card.

He took the card but he didn’t open it. Inside, there was a hundred dollar bill, my phone number and a note thanking him and saying to call if he ever need anything.

I was glad he didn’t open it then because I am sure he would have tried to give the money back. I hoped it would make his Christmas a little brighter.

“Is everything alright?” Kenny asked.

“Of course,” I said, “ I stopped to thank you again.”

I found I didn’t have much else to say besides to keep thanking him.

“I should let you get back to work. I just wanted to tell you how much what you did meant to me,” I said to him.

“Glad I could help,” he replied.

I stuck out my hand to shake. He hesitated, showing me his greasy hand. I took it and shook it anyway.

“I hope you have a Merry Christmas,” I said. He nodded and turned to go back to work. I walked back to my car.

As I drove off, I was reminded of a quote by Anne Frank, “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”

If Anne Frank could write those words while in a attic hiding from some of the greatest atrocities the world has ever known, surely we can see the kindness in the people around us in today’s world without having to look too hard.

I have always been amazed and thankful for the kindness of strangers.