WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS RIGHT NOW

Tuesday, March 8th 2022

My car broke down this morning. I hopped in the driver's seat, put my key in the ignition, and pressed the gas. Nothing. No sound, no lights, no car. 

This upset me. I love my car. 

Was it done? 

How was I going to get to where I needed to go today? 

I cannot live my life without a car. Everything would be so inconvenient. I became very worried.

Nonetheless, I called an Uber so that I could get to my volunteering position on time. When I had finished, I took another Uber home. 

My day took an unexpected turn the moment I opened the passenger door to this car. The driver was an old gentleman with piercing blue eyes and snow-white hair. He drove a new Toyota Corolla that smelled like soft air freshener. 

He apologized for being on speaker phone right away and explained that he was trying to get a subscription to SeriousXM.  The woman on the other line didn’t sound like she knew what she was doing at all. She asked him if he could ask his wife for help. He responded with, “my wife passed away last year from cancer.” Silence and awkwardness fell over the phone call. The woman apologized. He quickly became frustrated with her exceptionally poor customer service skills and ended the call.

After hanging up, he apologized again. I reassured him that there was absolutely nothing to apologize for. We both agreed that listening should be the number one requirement for employees to have when working in the customer service industry. 

I told him that I was sorry to hear about his wife’s passing. I shared with him that my father also lost his life to cancer a few years ago. We both sympathized with each other. He continued to tell me how much he loved his wife, and that he sold his house, gave all his money to his two children, and moved in with his son. He had decided to become an Uber driver just so that he could get out of his son’s hair during the day. 

He kept the conversation flowing. He gave me his name and asked me how I was and how my day was going. I told him my car wouldn’t start this morning and that I had a full day of volunteering in various locations around the city. I was worried about how much money I would be spending on rides in just a few hours. 

By this time, he pulled into my driveway. There sat my little white Honda Civic. I looked at it and felt sad. As I collected my bags, I heard him say, “you know, I could take a look at your car if you’re comfortable. I’m actually great with cars.” I was a bit worried because after all, this was someone I just met. He was a complete stranger to me. But, he seemed very genuine. I responded to him and said, “are you sure? You must have a busy day.” He reassured me and proceeded to turn off the tracking feature on his Uber App. He said, “there. All good.” I couldn’t believe it. I then said, “well, at least let me make you a coffee.” He accepted. 

Part of me thought of scenarios that could go wrong. If he came at me, I could take him. I had my phone and full confidence that I could scream loud enough for my neighbors to hear. 

We walked over to my car. He tried to turn it on. Nothing. He then popped the hood and said, “yup, it’s 100% your battery. You just need a new one.” After I handed him his coffee, he offered to remove it. I gave him some of my dad’s old tools to use. 

He pulled his phone out and dialed a number. He left his friend a message to cancel their plans on going for coffee. He said, “I’m helping a damsel in distress.” I laughed. 

He went back to looking at the car, and told me more about his wife. He was a retired airline pilot and she was his flight attendant. They met in their first year of high school. She was a cheerleader and he was the film documentern during the sports games. He said, “I stole her from the quarterback on the football team.” They had stayed together ever since. 51 years. This sounded like a story straight out of a movie. 

He handed me his phone. His son made a video on youtube. It was a 15 minute montage filled with pictures of her throughout her life. It was also orchestrated with music from Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. ‘Unforgettable,’ and ‘Fly me to the Moon.’ Very appropriate. It was beautiful. “She was beautiful,” he said. 

“Anything I can do to make sure I end up in Heaven with my wife, I will,” he said. He went on about how his job as an uber driver served him in helping others.  Every Saturday, he takes a newly immigrated Sri Lankin family to the grocery store. He lets the husband use his car to practice driving so that he can pass his test, all while the wife shops for food. A young asian woman forgot her groceries at a Starbucks, 30 minutes away from her house. He drove her and waved the traveling fee. 

Afterwards he said, “you know, if you aren’t doing anything right now, I could take you to the store and help you get a new battery. It’s super simple.” Me, knowing absolutely nothing about cars, and having a bit over an hour to kill, I said yes and thanked him again. I was blown away by this man’s kindness.

We got back in his car, and he drove us to the store. He came in with me and helped me get the right battery. I would have had no clue what to do. He even insisted on carrying it because it was heavy. When we arrived back at my house, he installed the new battery. The car worked. He thanked me for allowing him to help me and offered his phone number in case I ever needed anything in the future. 

Sometimes I feel like because my father isn’t around to help me anymore, he sends his help in other ways. This was his way. If he was alive, he could have fixed my car. Instead, he sent someone else to do it. 

Not only did this gentleman save me from spending money on ubers all day, but he fully fixed my car. He made my life easier by taking time out of his day to help me. He showed me that there is good in people and it’s alright to accept the help from a stranger. This was an act of true and genuine kindness. I will forever feel indebted and grateful to this uber driver.