The good and the bad

0

I have some good news and some bad news.

I will start with the one bad news, and then finish with the two that are good news.

The bad news, for me, is that just as I finished my new article for this coming week, it disappeared from my computer!!! There is nothing but a blank screen where it is supposed to be. I tried everything you can imagine, but it is gone!!

The title I had for it was “The Rest of the Story…” but now there is no story at all. So, since I don’t have anywhere to go but up, I will write something else that I classify as being good news.

So, stay tuned and read the two short stories that follow.

1. On Thursday of this past week, I was in Delaware with a friend, and the rubber on her windshield wiper split apart. I knew right away that she would have to get a new one. But, I also knew that her son-in-law, who took care of her car, had just moved to the Cleveland area.

So, because George and I had just had the same thing happen a week ago, I knew what to do. I asked her if she knew where AutoZone was, but she didn’t. Then when I asked her if she remembered a long time ago, when she was getting gas at a Shell station in Delaware and while the gas was running into her tank, she drove off, pulling the gas pump with her. She remembered that very well, so drove right to it.

There were no cars directly in front of the front door, so I told her to pull up there, and I went inside and told the service man our problem. He asked me what kind of car it was, but I didn’t know. So he went outside and looked at it and came back in and got the correct wiper blade. I paid him for it, and he assured me there would be no extra cost to put it on.

So, out we went and in about two minutes the new wiper blade was in place and her problem was solved. So, if anyone reading this needs a new windshield wiper blade, don’t hesitate any longer. Go to AutoZone on East William Street, just over the bridge going east.

2. When I went to Dollar General, just last evening, to get some milk and light bulbs, I just took some money out of my purse and stuck it in my pocket feeling that I had plenty for just the couple of items I was getting. But, when I got there, I added a couple of other things, like ice cream and orange juice. So, when the check-out guy, Levi, asked me if I needed anything else, I said, “I hope not, because I may not have enough money with me to pay for everything.”

It was kind of a joke, rather than just saying, “No.” So, when he rang up my total, I saw that I was $2 short, so would need to put something back. And before I could pick up the ice cream to put back, he got a $5 bill out of his billfold, put it with my money, rang it up, and then insisted that I take the $3 change!

I said, “No, you don’t have to do that. I have money, just not with me.” And by then he had everything bagged up and was handing me the bag, along with the extra money and would not take no for an answer. Right then it dawned on me that he thinks I have no money. He knew I was buying light bulbs, so wouldn’t think I was really homeless. Did I really look that pathetic?

So, as fast as I could, I left there, got the money and took it back in to him. He was willing to take it when he knew I had other money, and he said he did it because he likes to help people.

The above two stories happened in the past two days, and I am happy to use them here as examples of people helping people. We need more people like the ones at AutoZone and like Levi at Dollar General.

https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2020/01/web1_Kay-Conklin-Portrait-1.jpg

By Kay Conklin

Contributing columnist

Kay E. Conklin is a retired Delaware County recorder who served four terms. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in sociology and anthropology.

No posts to display