The other day, when I went to Walmart after work to pick up a few things. One of those items was windshield wiper fluid.
It has snowed every 2-3 days here lately. With all the salting of the roads going on, I have had to clean the windshield a lot during all my toing-and-froing. So, I had emptied my last bottle of fluid and I knew the resevoir in the truck was low.
After I had loaded the rest of the groceries in my vehicle, I went around front, opened the hood, and filled the resevoir. About 1/2 way thru the task I heard, "What's wrong, won't it work?". As I finished the top-off, I heard again, "What's wrong, won't it work?" just behind me.
As I replaced the resevoir cap, I looked behind me to see an elderly man looking at me with concern. "Oh, no, I'm just filling up the windshield wiper fluid," I assurred him. "Thank you for your concern though."
We talked a bit about the weather (it was supposed to snow again that night) and other non-consequential things. Then we returned our carts to the cart corral and wished each other a good night.
I left there thinking, "What a wonderful fellow, being concerned for a stranger."
I drove about 4 miles, to where I had to stop at an intersection for a 4-way stop sign. My turn was up - I had stopped, there was nobody to the right of me and no one on the other side, and the car to my left hadn't even reached the Stop sign yet. I looked again to the left, just as I lifted my foot from the brake, and saw some jerk (who was obviously in a bigger hurry than I was) blow thru the stop sign and turn to go the same direction that I was headed. He then proceeded to poke along at 7 MPH under the speed limit (on a dry road), then turn off about a mile down the road.
Within the space of a few minutes, I managed to find the best of people and the worst of people. I chose to bring up the memory the elderly, caring gentleman and had a terrific, mellow drive home anyway.
There is always an idiot on the highway out to stress you out. Glad to see you were so observant.
Posted by: Sue | February 26, 2005 at 06:34 PM
Fooled me. I was afraid that the two guys were the same one--LOL!
You reminded me of a trip to the library a few weeks ago when it was so icy, here. When I came outside, there was an older guy (older than me!) parked in the nearest handicap slot who was trying to manage his oxygen bottle and walking cane while clearing the ice off of the hood and windshield of his pickup. Obviously, I had to stop to help him in his task. We fell into conversation, mostly about how he had seen me around, did I ever come down to the senior center (in the same building as the library), and how I SHOULD come to the senior center. As we parted, he stretched up to plant a kiss on my cheek.
Wow! I hadn't had a guy try to pick me up in years! Had to come home and tell Hunky Husband about my new boyfriend.
Posted by: Cop Car | February 27, 2005 at 09:02 AM
Well that was so considerate of you! I can only hope that when I am elderly that a younger person helps me. I try to be more conscientious
of elderly people now that I
am now, officially, according to AARP, a senior citizen even though I am in my EARLY 50s.
Posted by: Sue | February 27, 2005 at 01:10 PM
Sue--Although I was eager to join AARP (I had picked up their magazine on an airplane and was impressed), and did so at the earliest possible time, I do think that 50 is a rediculously early age at which they recruit people. It's sort of like older bloggers being defined as being over 40. Young whippensnappers are trying to horn in--LOL!
BTW: I am no longer impressed by the quality of the AARP magazine. It's better now than it was about 5-10 years ago, but it really went stinko there for a while. (I tell people it's because men took over the leadership of AARP, but who knows?)
Posted by: Cop Car | February 27, 2005 at 03:11 PM
P.S. Sue--just in case you didn't know, I am Bogie's mother (age 66).
Posted by: Cop Car | February 27, 2005 at 03:13 PM
I just joined AARP a few months ago, mostly for the discounts. Have you tried any? Are they worth it?
I just got something for car insurance but have not really checked into it.
Posted by: Sue | February 27, 2005 at 04:28 PM
Sue--The only discount that I've tried is on hotel rates. AARP rates are as good as or better than the corporate rates that I'd been getting. Since AARP membership is so cheap, the discounts can't very well be over-priced.
I can't advise you on the car insurance. Their health insurance runs high, from what I've seen--at least in our state. Our state (Kansas) has a web site with comparisons among medigap plans. Since medigap plans are "standardized", it's easy to compare prices for the same coverage from different sources.
Posted by: Cop Car | February 28, 2005 at 07:00 AM