During this past year I’ve had three instances of car trouble: a blowout on a freeway, a bunch of blown fuses and an out-of-gas situation. I normally carry things like a jack and some tools and tidbits but during these times of trouble.

I had one disgusting thought that people are in too great hurry to help. I would get stuck on the side of the freeway hoping against hopes for some help to come by.  Just watching quite a few trucks cruise past me.  “This country is going to hell in a hand basket,” I said.

But you know who came to my rescue all three times? Immigrants. Mexican immigrants. None of them spoke any English.

One of those guys stopped to help me with the blowout even though he had his whole family of four in tow.

He sized up the situation and called for his daughter, who spoke English. He conveyed through her that he had a jack but that it was too small for the Jeep, so we would need to brace it. Then he got a saw from the van and cut a section out of a big log on the side of the road. We rolled it over, put his jack on top and we were in business.

I started taking the wheel off, and then, if you can believe it, I broke his tire iron. It was one of those collapsible ones, and I wasn’t careful, and I snapped the head clean off. Damn.

No worries: he ran to the van and handed it to his wife, and she was gone in a flash down the road to buy a new tire iron. She was back in 15 minutes. We finished the job with a little sweat and cussing (the log started to give), and I was a very happy man.

The two of us were filthy and sweaty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up to the van and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl where they lived, thinking maybe I’d send them a gift for being so awesome. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. Then they were going to pick peaches, then go back home.

After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale.

This family, undoubtedly poorer than just about everyone else on that stretch of highway, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours out of their day to help a strange guy on the side of the road while people in tow trucks were just passing him by.

But we weren’t done yet. I thanked them again and walked back to my car and opened the foil on the tamale (I was starving by this point), and what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I whirled around and ran to the van and the guy rolled down his window before he would just drive away. The guy just smiled and, with what looked like great concentration, said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.”

In the several months since then I’ve changed a couple of tires, given a few rides to gas stations and once drove 50 miles out of my way to get a girl to an airport. I won’t accept money. But every time I’m able to help, I feel as if I’m putting something in the bank.

No further comment is necessary…”Think Twice” before you give to your
Charity of choice as to which one really does the best for the most – or the least for the most, for that matter. Remember charity starts at home. Look after the people of this country.

Am a 61(in 2011) years old, retired, male of Indian origin, presently living in London.
Having been born and brought up in Kenya (Obama’s country of origin), East Africa, moved to the UK in 1968.

Studied and worked, at the same time, to get ahead in life.

Obtained a Higher National Certificate in Electronics in 1975 and a BSc. in Digital Systems Design in 1996.

Two children have flown the nest. They are Assistant Manager (daughter) and Software Engineeer (chip off the old block)(son).

Have worked as an Electronics Test Engineer in Electronics Counter-measures, Flight Simulation and Army Weapons (missiles).
5 years as a Software (HDL) Test Engineer was quite a change from Hardware.
The last 3 years of working life were spent as a Tutor preparing and pushing the out of work to become gainfully employed. This was the hardest job but the most satisfying.

Other interests are International Affairs, environmental issues, charity work for victims of polio, technical developments in computing and related matters.

Is an alien invasion imminent? Sorry did not mean it this way. It is better to join in the with the rest, to prepare the world should this happen in the near future!