Heading to my car with my purchases after a quick Costco shopping trip, I notice an older man sitting in the passenger seat of a car, one leg out, like he is waiting. I notice a bit better, and realize the car’s hood is raised. A bit more, and I process that a crutch is holding up the hood. Indeed, as the man goes to the hood to check something and returns to the passenger seat, he is limping. The crutch belongs to him out of need, yet he is having to use it to hold up the car’s hood, for some reason.
I have cold items that will spoil to the point of danger if I take too long, I consider. So, I unload my basket into the car, start the car remotely, as I know it blasts the A/C that way, and go return the shopping car to the stall. When I come back toward my car, I check around the barrier to see the man’s updated situation. He is sitting again, looking tired.
I don’t know much about cars, but can I help somehow? If nothing else, I can drive him somewhere to wait until he can get help tomorrow or something… or something. Just offer.
I brace myself, and then head towards the older man. As I approach him, I see he isn’t only older, but old. I greet him with a bit of nerves, then say to him, “I don’t really know much about cars, but can I help somehow?” He gives a sideways smile and a sort of kind chuckle, causing me to smile, too. As he speaks, I discover that he is actually a very old man.
He first mentions about making it not so hot. As I’m about to offer helping him inside, so he can wait where it is quite cool, he mentions about overheating and that his daughter is actually picking something up right now. I ask to confirm that she should be back very soon. As I ask, though, a man approaches, maybe late 30s, early 40s. He then offers help to the old man.
The man gets up to go show us the situation. I hold up the hood all the way, and I search for the tool designed to do this. Naturally, it is missing entirely. I can’t even seem to figure out where it might have been at some point in the past. The one thing I know decently well about cars, and it is of no use today. Nonetheless, I hold the hood while the old man points and explains and the younger man starts to look at things and talk in response.
Then the daughter arrives with some liquid and a funnel, and I step aside to allow her a place to approach. The old man then holds the hood up, and the young man does the work while the lady helps. Frankly, it is quite awkward just standing there to the side, watching the three of them do stuff under the hood of the car. But I determine that I can stick it out until they finish this, then excuse myself. No need to be weird and just disappear without notice. That idea just felt too unkind and self-serving – it thought so little of others and so much of one’s own discomfort. Even if it were awkward for them, there was still a chance I could be of help, so I would wait. Plus, it wasn’t in me to leave without declaring my departure and saying goodbye, and I wasn’t going to do that while they were so actively and intensely working under the hood together. Plus, it seemed they wouldn’t be very long, anyhow.
So, I waited calmly.
When they finished, the old man started the car. I leaned into it to check the engine heat level. It was in the middle. It had only just started, so it would have been on the cooler side, but its being in the middle was not surprising, considering it had just been overheating. As they closed up shop, I reminded the old man of certain parts he had removed from the engine (like the cover), and he opted to stick it in the trunk (himself) for the time being, as he and his daughter, who, by the way, was very likely in her fifties, got into the car.
The other man and I wished them luck and said goodbye as we both headed back to our vehicles. His had a 10-ish-year-old boy hanging out of it. He had family waiting on him. He had been already in his vehicle when I walked past to offer help to the man. Which brings me to my point.
Sure, it was awkward for me to offer help when I didn’t see what help I possibly could offer. But the fact that I did go up and offer help ended up being the encouragement needed by the person who could give actual help, the younger man with his family. That man clearly was planning to leave, shown by his started vehicle that was about to pull out, back-up lights illuminated. But he clearly changed his mind once I went over to the old man.
So, by the simple act of offering help, I was able actually to help someone, even when I saw no real help I could give. And that’s just really, really cool.
Thank you, God, for helping me to trust my gut and for showing me wonders through that trust. Thank you. And thank you for taking care of that father-daughter today. Keep them safe, happy, healthy, and holy. And the same for the younger man and his family, too, please. Thank you for his help. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Post-a-day 2023
hannah ananas 