Appreciate Your Tire-less Efforts

(I’ve had a full on day which has involved me being in classes for my university degree an hour away, and then race back home to start the closing shift at work as soon as I can. A few minutes from work I hear a loud noise in the car. Since it’s still driving fine, I assume something hit the undercarriage. However, when I’m pulling into work, I can feel one of my front tires go. I pull into the first carpark I see, conveniently out the front of my work, to inspect the damage. I swear pretty loudly, and get my phone out to call RACQ (roadside assistance) when I hear a voice pipe up.)

Man: “Need a hand, love?”

(It’s one of the regulars I know by sight from work.)

Me: “If you don’t mind, that’d be brilliant.”

Man: “I’ll just pump it up and see if it’s a puncture or if it’s just flat.”

(Thanking him profusely, I quickly run in, get changed into work clothes and let my colleague know I’ll be a bit late. I come back, he tells me it’s a puncture, and I’m about to call roadside again, because I couldn’t expect him to do anymore.)

Man: “Do you have a spare? I’ve got the tools; I can get this one off for you and put it on?”

Me: “Are you sure it’s not too much trouble? I can call RACQ if it is.”

Man: “Not at all.”

(Again, I thank him profusely, and step back to try and make phone calls about getting a new tire, because I have university early the next morning. The closest tire place is down the other end of the complex, and closing in 15 minutes. They say they can fix it if I get there before then but I’m resigning myself to missing class the next day because I wouldn’t be able to walk it down that quickly, once it was off. The man hears my end of the conversation and when I hang up.)

Man: “Was that down at [Tire Place]?”

Me: “Yeah, they just close shortly, so I’ll probably just have to get it fixed tomorrow.”

Man: “If you’d like, we can jump in my car and go and get it fixed now?”

Me: *knowing the guy a bit from work, I trust him* “Are you sure? I feel like I’m asking too much.”

Man: “No dramas at all. I’ll just finish getting this off.”

(I quickly ran into the store I work in, take $20 out of my account to say thank you, and go back out. He was getting the punctured tire in his car when I got there. He drove me the two minutes down the road, and waited patiently while it got fixed and I pay for it. I got back and he didn’t stop; he actually put the fixed tire back in again. This all took about half an hour, and I couldn’t thank him enough. I tried to give him the money to say a little thank you but he refused. All he said was that he has a couple of daughters and hoped someone would do the same if they were in that situation. He really restored my faith in humanity, and turned what could’ve been a horrible day, into a good, albeit expensive, one.)