I'm embarrassed to say this but I ran out of coolant today. I typically carry a spare jug in the Rover but life, as of late, has been hectic and out of control. Two weeks ago the company I work for decided to close the doors and terminate the employment of 60 of my fellow colleagues, leaving myself and one other as the sole employees in our location. Today was the day everyone had to be packed up and out the door. I've worked at the same place for 11 years. Many of those let go had worked there longer than me. Hugs, tears and e-mails were shared. It was a rough day.

It's been an emotional two weeks. I've eaten too much, been thinking too much, cried too much and wondered 'what am I going to do?' way too much. And I've abused my Rover, considerably. Terribly. Regrettably.

I ran to grab a salad today at the local grocery store and found myself stranded on the side of the road, yet again, watching Mack trucks come up behind me, school busses pass by me and shake the Rover one after another as my hazard lights flashed with the hood still up.

I was waiting on my friend. He didn't come.

A big burly guy with a beard stopped on the opposite side of the road in a beaten up red truck with rust around the wheel wells. I gave him the thumbs up sign thru my window as I still haven't fixed the driver's side window that won't go down. He understood that I had it handled and kept going. I was embarrassed to say that I ran out of coolant.. besides, I had phoned a friend and he said that he'd come.

I typically carry a jug of coolant with me, but today I only had a 1/4 bottle of coolant in an old diet dr. pepper bottle in the hatch. Not enough to get me thru this one. A spider crawled across my windshield and I looked at my feet, contemplating if they came into contact with the urushial extract from the poison ivy patch outside the car. It sure felt like it.

Just then a Subaru drove past me, pulled up in front of the Rover and stopped. I peeked thru the crack where the windshield met the bottom of the hood and saw 2 legs walking up to me. Checking for traffic in my side view mirror, I jumped out, walked up and said 'I'm ok.. just ran out of coolant, thanks'.

'Coolant?' he said.

'Yeah, Coolant', I replied. 'I've got a friend coming with some, I'm good but thanks for stopping'

'Hey.. I've got coolant. Hang on..' as he walked to his car.

'Is it Green?' I had the audacity to ask

'I haven't used it in a while so let me check' he yelled back as traffic flew by.
'50/50 green coolant and it's all yours'. He took his key, punched the foil top and handed it to me, asking me if I had a leak. Obviously he wasn't familiar with Rovers

I explained that I was intimately involved with the coolant system on my Rover and that I appreciated his help but Bertha can be finicky at times. I think he thought I was crazy But he kept standing there.

I introduced myself and shook his hand.

'Let me give you some money at least to pay you for your kindness' I said.

'Look, I had coolant, you need coolant, you keep it, it's not necessary to pay me. It's nice to know that you're taken care of'.

WOW.....

I was blown away. Here I am, having been crying and upset for days and a total stranger thought enough to stop and help me out. The world is good.

My friend showed up just as this stranger was leaving, hauling a pop bottle full of coolant in hand, sporting a black zombie t-shirt It was a little awkward but nice to know that people have your back.

I thanked the stranger again, he hesitantly walked to his Subaru and hopped in. The weird part was he did a U-turn right where he was and headed back in the direction from where he first came. I was puzzled by that.

After such a rough couple of weeks, he seemed almost like an angel, who stopped out of the blue, to help a Rover in distress when she needed it the most.

Thank you wherever you are.

 

Glad a good Samaritan stopped and got you on your way. There are plenty of good folks out there, however, always use your better judgement...especially late at night.

Changed a tire for a young girl many moons ago, before cell phones, that never opened her window more than a crack. I asked her if she had a spare, then asked for her keys, popped the trunk and changed the tire without her ever getting out. She was scared and l had no problem with her not getting out or trusting me. I've got a young daughter...and all I can hope for is someone else would do the same for her.

Brian.

 

Thanks Brian

Yes, I'm one for safety and it was a busy road. Not to mention the pepper spray, bear spray and wasp spray I keep in the truck I've got my momma to thank for that - it's a joke in our family as she keeps me fully supplied Thankfully I've never had to use it - although one of them leaked on me in college, got it on my hands and then in my eyes. That stuff works!

Nice of you to be the good Samaritan - it helps in today's crazy, fast paced world. I'll be paying it forward for sure.

 

I picked up a female hippy hitch hiker in the 70's once, she got into the car and talked, and talked and when I drove through the town she started shouting RAPE, so I drove to the nearest police station and suggested she reported me to the police. She got out of my car and ran off like a frightened rabbit in the headlights. I reported it to the police in case she tried it on someone else. I've never stopped for a hitch hiker since even in the rain, you never know what they'll do.

I'm glad to hear there are some decent and good Samaritan's around these days.

 

She was probably waiting for you to reply 'hey baby.. don't play so hard to get'. Chicks dig that.. haha. All kidding aside, what a traumatic experience for you - I'm sorry you had to go thru that Offroad. She probably was warped from taste testing too much oil with antifreeze in her day

 

Nah KD, she was another hippy 'headbanger' after some easy dosh I reckon, probably for drugs, so she thought. Problem now is I will never stop for any female or male hitch hiker whatever their problem. To add to my mobile armoury I now carry a diving knife and a 9mm auto in the LR4 especially travelling overnight on long quiet autoroute journeys although I don't condone firearms, too many old bad memories.