Content is paramount.

Animotion
Vroom

losir logo

I did my good deed for today. Yup I did.

Driving to work this morning (late as usual), there was a person in a Suzuki Swift sedan whos car had stalled in the middle of an intersection. Pulling up my handbrake and turning my hazard blinkers on, I step out of the car, instruct the person (female, with a baby in the childseat at back) to pop it into neutral so I can push her safely out of the intersection.

Being an automatic, she didn't realize that a key must be inserted in order for neutral to be engaged. She tries and she tries, while I wait dangerously behind her car, in a ready-to-push stance.

I run to her window, tell her to put in her key. She fumbles for it, inserts it, and puts the auto-shfiter to the letter N. I run around to the back once more, and begin to push.

It's a marvel to see how strong one person can be when adrenaline is pumping through ones body. Anyway, I tell her to position her car to the lane next to the curb (she was in the passing lane). When all of a sudden, a car flies by and honks the crap out of her and I. I freak out, almost wetting myself. I didn't expect any cars coming up my six, and neither she nor I did a blind spot check. However, I thought decent people would not pass until I had gotten her safely to the side. I was wrong.

Anyway, now safely stopped, I tell her to keep her hazards going, move her child to the front seat, and lift the hood up. She had a cell phone, so I'm assuming she'll call for help. I couldn't stay around to make sure she was okay, because I too have a life, of sorts.

What gets me pretty pissed is that she appeared to have been stuck in the intersection for a few ticks before I arrived. She was already on the phone when I approached, and her keys were in her pocket when I told her that she needed them. There were three people across the street in a bus shelter, and they didn't offer to help push. There were countless other cars on the road, stopped because she was blocking the intersection, who didn't get out to help. It just didn't seem like anyone cared.

I'm not the last boyscout, nor do I pretend to be anything of that sort. I'm as selfish and money-hungry as the next jerk trying to make a quick buck. But when someone is in danger, how can one not lend a hand? We share the same oxygen, my blood is as red as yours, and if our blood types matched, you could save my life.

As for all you cynics, I didn't help because I needed a blog entry, nor did I help because it was a "she". I didn't care about that. I just saw a person in a car, stuck on a relatively well-travelled intersection, posing a danger to its occupants and fellow cagers on the road. What got me riled up was that even as I was pushing by myself, not a single person came over to help. Hence the added adrenaline of anger.

Anyway, I think I deserve a cookie now.

....or at least a pat on the head. posted by losir at 11:00 AM