The day started at 8AM sharp at a board meeting, but when I showed up it had been cancelled. I then proceeded to the Republic on Elm to meet my first appointment at 9:30AM. With an hour to spear, I parked the car, got out to check if the restaurant had yet opened. It hadn’t, as I was walking back to my car a real estate sign caught my eye, so I crossed the street to check it out. When I got back, there was a ticket on my windshield. Man, it only too ten minutes to get a ticket. I intended to park there all morning, so I brushed it off and moved on.
I read the paper for a while, and my 9:30 breakfast appointment was delightful. As I was leaving, I backed up and hit a car behind me. It was a gentle kind of auto accident, but I still got out to check on things. The two men in the car jumped out and started making a big thing out of it, and demanded that we call the cops. Okay, not really worth it, but I understand their concern. When I started to exchange papers, they refused, and also informed me that they had no insurance. To make matters even more annoying, their car was already all smashed in, and the little dimple I put in their already destroyed bumper was a joke, at best. Okay, I began to see what game they were playing, and decided that I’ll wait for the police to explain to them how these accidents work. While standing there waiting, a street down we herd the screech of tires, and a bang of a real accident. Within minutes two police care arrived at the other scene. It was clear that they would not get to us until after they clean things up there. 2 hours later, standing in the sun, the police officer shows up. He explains to my two new friends that there is hardly a claim, and if they make one to the state, it is likely they will have to pay car insurance in the future. They didn’t want that, so their potential lottery ticket evaporated. I don’t think they felt bad for wasting a good part of our day, and was just part of how they do business, how they roll. Oh well, time to move on.
I make my last appointment just in time, but as this day wraps up, I’m feeling tired. As I drive home I stop for gas. While pumping the gas, a young man shows up behind me, and explains to me he has run out of gas, and needs one dollar to make it home. He points to his car, which is a newer BMW, and his girl friend is in the passenger seat. She looks a little annoyed with the whole thing, and I was not the only person having a bad day. I slip the kid a five dollar bill, and he is on his way. I make it home, pour a beer, and kickback on the porch.
My Wife asks me how my day went. I explain all the events, and end it on feeling really good because I helped this kid out. I felt like a Samaritan, a good citizen, a fellow human helping another. My wife looks over at me and starts to laugh, explaining that she read in the paper that the latest drugs money scam is to ask suckers at the gas station for gas money.
Okay, it was a bad day, but I still felt good. Nothing really tragic happened. Nobody was hurt. It was certainly a comedy of errors, but I can still sit on my porch and have a beer with my wife. Regardless of if it was a scam or not, I’m glad I gave that kid a five, and I think he really needed gas. I looked at my wife and said, “That’s how I roll”.