Driving Home The Kindness, Part 14

(I am a medical student starting my fieldwork. My site is a 45-minute drive away from my apartment, and I am nervous because my supervisor has already attacked my intelligence and insulted me in front of a patient. She’s also insisted I need a specific certification, costing me $600 on my very limited student budget. I have severe driving anxiety due to an abusive situation I escaped. I am driving through heavy rain to get to fieldwork, and when I go to turn onto the highway, my wheel jerks from my hands and I realize I am hydroplaning! I manage to not hit the light-post, but my car is stuck and mud-covered, and I am going nowhere. I’m scared, and I immediately start having a panic attack, both from the near miss and from contemplating what this could cost on my limited budget. Crying and shaking, I leave a message for my instructor, then try to remember how to call my insurance, who tell me they will take upwards of an hour to get to me since it’s not an emergency. Then, I notice a truck pulling off near me and the driver waving at me. I roll down my window.)

Man #1: “Are you okay?”

Me: “Yes, b-but I’m stuck. I can’t get out.”

Man #1: “I have a car shop nearby. I’ll go get my chain. You sure you’re okay?”

Me: *surprised, still crying* “A-Are you sure? You don’t have to. I’m o-okay, just scared and late for w-work.”

Man #1: “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s like five minutes away. You sit tight.”

(He drives off. Another truck stops about three minutes later and what looks like a man my age and his father hop out.)

Man #2: “Are you all right, miss?”

Me: “Yes, j-just stuck.”

Man #3: “Can we call you a tow?”

Me: “A man’s g-gone to get his chain to g-get me out.”

(They stayed with me, helping me get over to the side of the road safely. When the man arrived with his chain, they actually turned to block the on-ramp so no one would get hit while the first guy chained my car to his and pulled my car out of the rut it was stuck in. I walked around the car, and nothing was damaged! It was just very dirty, and some grass was stuck in the bumper. The whole time, the men kept checking on me, making sure I was okay, and offering to get me somewhere safe. By the time I got back in my car, I wasn’t crying anymore, and I felt a lot safer. Thankfully, I got to my fieldwork only about thirty minutes late, and I wasn’t forced to eat ramen that week. Thank you to the very kind gentlemen who stopped for a scared student, and were so gentle interacting with me.)

Related:
Driving Home The Kindness, Part 13
Driving Home The Kindness, Part 12
Driving Home The Kindness, Part 11