His name was... Tim

So, the incident that started all of this. Some of you have already heard this story. Some may be joining this party a bit late. Either way, it was my first act and what prompted me to make an effort.

I spend a lot of time in my car. I mean, a lot. For two years I had a two hour commute, one way. For one of those years, it was five days a week. As such, I see a lot of broken down vehicles, hitchhikers, and panhandlers. Sometimes, I help and give folks a lift, a granola bar, something. More times, I keep driving like everybody else.

Back on June 16th, I was driving home on a country highway and saw a car pulled over, hazard lights going, gas can on the roof. For whatever reason I decided, I had the time. I would pull over and at the least give the person a lift back to town. Unfortunately, I hadn't decided this quite fast enough to pull along side the car, and thus had to find a place to turn around. Either way, I soon found myself across the highway from said broken down car.

As I bring my car to stop, the owner of the car comes around. I won't lie. I may have been saying "Hey, is everything okay?" but my brain was say Okay, guy looks a bit sketch. Well, my doors are still locked, car's running, and he's got to come across the highway first. Interview time. Just because I've picked up hitch hikers before doesn't mean I'm an idiot about it.

Thus, we begin to talk. Yes, he was okay. His car just ran out of gas. No, he didn't need a lift. In theory, he had friends coming to help him. Granted, that was an hour and a half ago. But they said they were coming. No, it was okay, he'd just wait for them. They said they were coming and he wouldn't want to leave just as they showed up. Did I know, though, I was the first person to pull over and ask in the two hours he'd been there?

Two hours? Really? He'd been there for two hours and nobody had stopped or paid him any attention?

Well, not quite, he admitted. Some guys in a beat up truck threw something at him. Which turned out to be a screwdriver I had spotted in the middle of the road. He picked it up when I pointed it out. At the time they threw it, he hadn't seen where it landed. He was too busy ducking at the time. Another woman in a big SUV almost ran him and his dog over as he was sitting where I was parked waiting for his friends. But otherwise, I was it.

This floored me. I understand turning a blind eye and just keep driving. It's the mob mentality. Somebody else will stop. But to intentionally make the effort to scare or possibly hurt him? Some random guy stranded on the side of the road? That left me speechless. Really. My jaw was slightly open and I just stared at him.

As I was doing my fish impression, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "Thank you. You've given me a little more faith in people again." Just for stopping. Just for seeing if he needed a lift. We introduced ourselves, and he said, "Well, I should probably try to call my friends again. Thanks again for stopping." I wished him well as he walked back around his car and started to turn my car around to turn back into traffic.

As I pulled back onto the highway, I glanced back at him. He'd gotten his dog out of the car, looked almost like a Pomeranian, and was smiling and using the dog's paw to wave at me. I smiled and nodded, being half way through a sharp left turn, and continued on my way home.

His name was Tim, and the when I drove past that spot the next day, I didn't see his car there. I hope his friends showed up and he managed to get where ever he was going.