The Kindness of a Stranger

If you know me, then you know my van, Morrison, was out of commission for almost a year because I didn't have the money to get him repaired. The kids and I spent last summer walking to do errands; and over the winter I got rides from friends, at their convenience, if there was something I needed to do. My registration was coming due this past June and I was getting fed up because there was no way I could get Morrison inspected and tagged, and I didn't want the apartment complex management to tow him because of expired tags. I decided to just sell him.

I put an ad on Craigslist, but couldn't sell him. I tried to scrap him but nobody would offer me more than $200. The last junk guy I spoke with discussed the mechanical issues with me and said it was an easy fix, to re-list Morrison for sale because I could get, at least $700. I got one response. It was an elderly gentleman, Jim, who lives locally. He came over to look at Morrison but we couldn't get him started, not even with a jump start. As Jim looked over the engine, he and I casually chatted.

I told him that I'd love to get Morrison running again but just didn't have the funds so the best I could do was sell him. Jim asked me to give him a few days to do a little research and said he'd get Morrison up and running again for me. I declined because I really didn't have any money to pay him, and I told him so. He, very kindly, told me not to worry about it. He said that I need a vehicle, especially since I have three kids, and that he would get Morrison running at no, or very little, cost to me. I agreed to let him try.

A few days later Jim came to my house, took Morrison's battery, charged it, and reinstalled it. Then he made a few minor adjustments here and there and Morrison roared to life. I was ecstatic. WOO HOO!! I couldn't thank him enough. He just smiled and accepted my thanks. Then he said he ran a code check on Morrison and that the intake manifold gaskets needed to be replaced. We also discussed that the front brakes needed replacing and that the windows didn't work, so he wanted to fix them, too. He gets a discount on parts from the local auto parts store so he quoted me a price. He said that if I'd pay for the parts, he'd do the labor for nothing. The parts were $125 for everything.

I was due to get paid from Ursula, my boss, so I told him I'd let him know when I got paid and we could finish up everything that needed to be done. Ursula paid me about a week later so I told Jim I was ready to help him whenever he was ready to get the work done. We set a date for a Saturday and the boys and I drove Morrison to Jim's so he'd have all his tools handy. While I helped Jim work on Morrison, the boys did some yard work that Jim needed done, and he paid them for their help.

A few hours later, Morrison was running better than new; I didn't have to worry about stalling while I was driving down the highway.  He also had new brakes and window motors. I bought Morrison in 2007 and the windows stopped working about three years afterward. For the first time in about five years, we could finally put the windows up and down while we drove. I couldn't have been happier.

Now, not only do I have a vehicle that runs, but it's also inspected and registered, and I'm free to move about on my own without having to rely on my friends for favors anymore. It's very exciting and liberating, to say the least. Jim is a great guy and told me not to hesitate if there was anything else I needed in the future.

I have to thank the universe, too, because I got Jim's initial phone call about 15 seconds after I had an argument with the universe. I was having a bad day with the kids and was standing in my kitchen screaming that something needed to give. By the time I walked back into the living room, my phone was ringing - it was Jim. I'll be forever grateful to him for being such a wonderful stranger, now a friend; and to the universe for assisting when I needed help, and for being there for me when I don't.

Until next time...peace to all.