South Shore Train Station and "PIF"

On June 13, 2009 my husband and I were on our way to the South Shore Train Station by way of the bypass to catch the train to head to Chicago. We were celebrating our 4 year anniversary and were under a tight time constraint because we had tickets to see "Blue Man Group" and we knew we would have to get on the train and arrive in Chicago only a half hour before the show.

A part of the bypass had just been re-tarred and apparently this made the road very sticky. Our recently patched tire did not hold up and we found ourselves on the side of the road with a flat tire. While we did have a spare, we did not have any tire changing equipment. Perhaps I overreacted but I couldn’t help but cry. The past year for us had been very hard, it had been the most trying year of our marriage and I really had hoped that we could celebrate our anniversary and try to make the next year a better one.

We weren’t on the side of the road long when on the other side of the bypass (the east bound lane) we saw a large truck hauling a racecar style trailer. He had to stop fast or he would miss us, we were on a curve so he must have seen us and in a split second knew he could help. A smiling man jumped out of the truck, reached into the trailer and produced a jack, 4-way, and a cordless impact gun! Of all people to stop, this person was the most well equipped to help us! We had the tire changed and ready to go within 5 minutes. I was amazed that a complete stranger would take the time to help us. I didn’t have any cash on me, but I did have a hacienda gift card. I asked him if he liked Hacienda and he said “of course” and when I attempted to hand him the gift card he refused. He said, “No ma’am, I can’t accept that, but if you would, please pay it forward, do you know what I mean?” In tears, I nodded. He said, just think of others who are in need and try to help someone else some day.

As quickly as he came, he left. We went on about our way and thought of this man many times that weekend and I still think of him often. My husband and I really learned something that day; that one gesture, one helping hand that may take as little as 5 minutes can make a profound impact another person.