My stepdaughter and I were traveling along Turner Turnpike on the way home from Oklahoma City. We were just about thirteen miles out of the City when my car became difficult to steer. I flipped on the flashers and reluctantly pulled over to the side of the highway. Yes. It was a flat tire.
Concerned for her safety, I told my stepdaughter to remail in the car while I got out to see the damage. I was going to look inside the trunk to get out the spare and some tools when I discovered that my husband’s vintage car I drove that day had two keys- one for the ignition and one for the trunk. What a shock! I had only the ignition key!
I did not want to panic but began to wonder how to get us home safely without transportation. We had no cell phones at that time and we were still about fifteen miles from the nearest Turnpike exit where I could call my husband. I knew I could walk the distance, being an avid jogger, but did not know if my stepdaughter could make the trip. Plus, we would need to cross the Turnpike to walk on the correct side of the highway for pedestrians.
Just as I was about to discuss the plan with my stepdaughter, a car pulled up in front of the car. A man asked if he could help. I told him about the keys and I had no way to get my spare tire. He did not even suggest that we ride with him to our exit. He simply said, “No problem.” He got his spare and put it on our car. As we conversed, he said he was on his way to Tulsa and would be coming back this way next week. We made plans for him to stop by my husband’s office to get his spare and return mine sometime next week. He was really a “Knight in Shining Armor!”
Discussion: Have you ever experienced a frustrating or frightening situation in which your choices were limited? Do you think you would be as helpful as this man who helped us? Would you be afraid to accept help from a stranger? How much help could you accept? How much and what kind of help could you offer?