Friday, March 08, 2013

the tow truck driver made me cry

Tow truck levers. Similar to craftmatic adjustable bed levers.


got in the car this morning at 730 AM, excited to get to 2 local thrift stores early when the first racks came out and the aisles would not be clogged with nit wits and their shopping carts.

the lights on the dashboard came on, but the engine didn't start, and i could not shift the car into drive, reverse, neutral - nothing. the digital clock was flickering. then i could not turn the car off. this is a potential problem with a battery car. it's a 2005 prius, basically a golf cart with windshield wipers. it was stuck "on" but unable to move in any direction. crazy.

i called the dealer and they thought it needed a new 12 volt battery, a google search confirmed that was probably the problem, and i called a tow truck to bring me and the car to the dealer.

when the tow truck arrived an hour later i asked the guy how he was doing and he said it was the best day of his life.

i thought he was being sarcastic. i said 'oh really, why's that?'

let me say that this was a good ol country boy, probably in his early 50's, bald, scruffy gray beard, a little on the heavy side, cheeks full of chewing tobacco that he was spitting into a mountain dew bottle. 

he said 'i lost my daughter. about 10 years ago. her mama took her from me and i couldn't see her anymore...(me: "oh, i'm sorry...") on the way here i got a call from a girl in oklahoma city. my little girl called me and i got to talk to her for the first time since she was 5 years old. i prayed every single day for this to happen.'

he was crying. i was crying.

turns out she found him through facebook, is about to graduate high school in may, and has a baby boy. she saved all the letters he had ever sent her. he is now saving money to go out there and see her graduate, saying 'that's a big'un...can't miss that."

he dropped me at the dealer, i got a new battery, and went on my merry way. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

the miracle of life

Anonymous said...

everyone's got a story...nice ending...


MOM
xoxo

kid D said...

Fantastic story. I have a friend who found her birth family through facebook last year. Unfortunately, her mother had passed away recently. They welcomed her with open arms. Told her all about her mom, told her how much she looked and talked like her mom, etc. It was such a healing encounter for her.

skippy haha said...

thanks all! there are lots of positives about the internet, but the ease with which estranged people can now reunite has to be one of the biggest!