Good Sam-ericans

By Grouchy Joe, Proud American

You know, with these troubling times, sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. I think that if everyone would lend a hand to one another, like Good Samaritans, this world of ours would be bubblier than a Lawrence Welk marathon!

For example, the other night my good buddy Bob Takahashi and I were walking home from the Swiss Chalet restaurant when we saw this poor guy's truck break down in front of the video store. He had pulled up in a huge SUV and had thrown on his hazards. He rushed into the store--he must have been in a panic to call a towtruck.

It was a shame that this unlucky guy had broken down outside the video store, instead of the gas station. But Bob and I just looked at each other and nodded. I could tell that we were both thinking the same thing: "Let’s help him."

Bob popped the hood and we went to work. The engine seemed to be running okay, but there had to be something wrong or else it wouldn’t have broken down. I checked the oil and other fluids while Bob tested the cables. It was a good thing he did, because when he gave the red battery cable a third good pull, it snapped right apart! There was a flash of light, sparks shot out all over the place, and then the car shut down. It was like the Fourth of July was being celebrated under this guy’s hood! I'm glab we found the problem, because that cable was dangerous!

I guess the driver was worried about having to wait for the towtruck because he came running out of the store in a panic, shouting: "what the hell are you doing to my truck!?!"

"Its okay, friend," I said. "We found the problem for you."

Well, I guess that this guy wasn’t used to getting help because he almost seemed upset. "What problem?" he asked. "What the hell are you talking about?!?"

"It was the red cable that was the problem," I replied. "It snapped in two. But once you get that fixed you should be running fine."

I thought I explained the engine problem to him in simple terms, but the fellow just stared at us. From his expression I figured that nobody had ever helped him before.

"Oh, don’t worry," I assured him. "We don’t want any money or anything. Just knowing that we were able to help is thanks enough." Bob and I then waved to him and walked away.

I guess that we must have made his day because started to shout: "I’m calling the police!"

I couldn’t believe it! He was so grateful that he wanted to get us an award for good citizenship or something. But that’s not really our style. We didn’t want any recognition. Just the satisfaction of helping our fellow man was thanks enough.

I slept well that night. I thought to myself, that if more people were as unselfish as Bob and I, the world would be a much better place.

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