Day 23

Which small act of kindness was bestowed on you that you will never forget?

I was driving from Charleston back home when I was a sophomore, driving a Nissan 200sx. I thought I was the bomb diggety; this car was definitely an upgrade from my '79 Datsun.



See, not too bad. Mine was royal blue, though. Much better than what I started with in high school.



I can't believe I found a pic of one the EXACT same color as mine was. Anyway, I digress.

I stopped to get gas and check my oil and, unbeknownst to me, didn't slam the hood all the way down. It was a very heavy hood. I got back on the interstate, and my hood light came on.

I pulled over on the side of the interstate (stupid), and I got out and fixed it. The car was still running and, lo and behold, I had locked myself out of the car. Brilliant.

This was before cell phones; I actually had a CB radio in my car. Yeah. Pretty soon, a huge Bilo truck stopped behind me. All I could wonder is, where will this guy dump my body parts after he hacks me up?

But the guy was incredibly nice. He had a hanger in the back of his truck, and he got the door open for me. It took a while, and I was maintaining a healthy distance from him the whole time, and he noticed I was cold. I was dressed for Charleston weather. He offered me his jacket, and although I didn't want to get close enough to take it, I did.

After I realized he wasn't going to kill me, I thanked him profusely. I'll never forget what he said; he told me he had a daughter, and he would want someone to do the same for her.

I always meant to write a letter to Bilo, thanking the man, but somehow, I never did. I wish I could thank him now.