Monday, February 18, 2013

Exploration Five: Prater Luck



            The driveway had not seemed long from a distance, but as I stood at the end it seemed to stretch forever. I glanced back at my car, hood now popped open (so it would cool off), and then down the road where 309 was three driveways away, but home was 8 miles away, I shook my head and hesitantly made my way to the front door. 

            Growing up I had seen and been with my dad on such walks to a stranger’s door. This now proved two things: Prater luck with cars was hereditary and the walk of automotive fail was less scary with someone beside you. Having finally reached the front door, I gave it a hard knock that left my knuckles aching, Within moments a woman answered.

            “I’m going to have to let you go,” she said as she hanged the phone on the person at the other end. She looked me over for a minute before I realized I needed to speak.

            “Umm…sorry to bother but my car broke down, and I am an oddball twenty-one year old without a phone…I mean I have one, but no time on it; just a mobile phonebook now. Uhhh…Anyways, may I use your phone?” The whole time I kept my eyes to the ground. This was a strain on nerves to no end, and mixed with the heat and humidity and the long ride from McGuffy I felt as if I was about to pass out.

The woman looked a little concern, either by letting me use her phone or by a stranger in general, but allowed me to use her phone. Luck would have it though that my dad did not answer his cell. I thanked the woman, and turned to walk back towards my car to either wait for my dad (who I had told which roads I would be taking just in case) or to start the long walk into town.

            “No you don’t. It’s too hot. We’ll give your dad another shot in a few minutes, but for now you are coming in to drink some water! What kind of a nurse would I be to let a person sit in this weather?” She moved aside, and allowed me into the air conditioned house.

            For the next 45 minutes the woman (whose name I have forgotten) and I carried on a conversation about our collective bad luck with cars, this horrible Summer heat, and how I should not have left my dad’s house without a bottle of water. In that short amount of time, my faith in humanity was restored as a stranger was kind enough to help me out instead of turning me away.

7 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your post. I think that it was written very well. Also, one of my previous posts for class was about the decline in events such as this and it was nice to read a post that relates and provides the other side of the story.

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  2. That's so nice that she allowed you to stay. Most people wouldn't even open the door to someone they didn't know.

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  3. Its good to hear that there are still good kind people out there, willing to help others.

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  4. This is a very nice story, broken cars seem to be a theme in this exploration. The story is also rather well composed compared to some of the others I have read.

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  5. You wrote your story so well that I felt like I was reading a book, not a story. Anyway, that is pretty awesome that a stranger let you into her house and helped you out. I had a similar experience so I know how grateful you were for that woman.

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  6. It's good to know that there are nice people out there.

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  7. I know what you mean about being nerves about walking up to a strangers house because you don't know who is going to anwser the door, good thing she wasn't like most people and slam the door in your face.

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