It all began and ended with an empty tank of gas. I was taking my brothers to the airport yesterday morning when the little gas light came on. I knew through prior experimentation that I had approximately 40 miles to go before I'd run out of gas. We were a bit behind on our trip, so I only stopped to get enough gas to get me to the airport and back to the cheaper gas station.
When we arrived at the airport, parking was non-existent, save for the farthest lot from the airport. So, we waited for the bus that was running late. Upon arriving at the airport ticket counter, I was informed that because we were only 40 minutes early (with only carry-ons), we would not be allowed on the flight. I requested the gate pass that I had already spoken to a representative about, she refused to give me one because whoever I had previously spoken with had given me bad information. (sigh) She was nice though and said that since I was misinformed and the boys would now have to fly standby, I could go through.
We watched as the last passengers board the flight that my siblings were supposed to be on. So, we waited for the next flight, and the next one after that. Thanks to the kind airline rep at the desk, they finally got a flight. We left at 9AM and would be arriving home at 8PM.
Boring story so far, right? Yeah, well it gets interesting after I leave the airport. I'm stuck in traffic and the gas light comes on again. Again, I calculate about 40 miles. Unfortunately, my calculations did not include a large hill 2 miles from the gas station I was trying to reach. Going up that large hill, the truck died. I knew I was close to the station, but I wasn't sure how close. Thus, I started walking. It wasn't long until I saw a nice looking family outside. After asking how far it was and would it be possible for me to walk there, they frowned, kindly lent me an empty gas can, and drove me to the gas station. It was so close (about 2 1/2 miles)! If I had made it the rest of the way up the hill, I could have coasted down to the station. Oh well.
All that to say, it was the kindness of others that turned my day from a really annoying one into a memorable one. Thanks for the lemonade!
Comments (1)
It's amazing what a difference a little kindness makes, isn't it?
Glad you made it home safely!